by Chris Reher
“What kind of project?” Seth asked, hoping that the drug was beginning to take effect on the Human. The other rebel would not be gone for long and there was little time to draw the information he needed from Jammer.
“You won’t believe it. Damn Caspians came up with a way to take out most of the Union fleet.”
Seth raised an eyebrow. “What? From here? Going to throw rocks?”
Jammer laughed. “No, man, they came up with a program for one of the pilots they caught on Dannakor. Red-haired thing. Rude as hell. Damn fine ass.”
Seth bit his lip, having nearly asked if she was all right. “What kind of program?”
“She’s got some new interface. They got it to work so that as soon as she tries to use it to send a message from here it’ll blow out everyone’s brains. Everyone that can hear her, anyway. Don’t know how it works but the Caspians are really excited about it.”
Seth whistled appreciatively and managed to keep a smile on his face. “Sounds like Arawaj is finally ready to show some muscle.”
“Got that right. We’re kinda tired of letting the Shri-Lan have all the fun. Although they’re in on this, too.”
“How’s that,” Seth asked, trying to sound disinterested.
Jammer winked conspiratorially. “I’m not supposed to know about it, but there’s nothing to do here at night but listen to others talk. They don’t know I understand the Caspian jabber. I been around them long enough. Shri-Lan’s going to start a brawl somewhere. Blow the shit out of some civilian places. That’ll stir everyone up. It’ll guarantee the whole damn Air Command is in the air and linked to their processors.”
“Downright devious,” Seth grinned. “They’re going to hit Targon?”
“No idea. Probably something more remote. Doesn’t matter. They’re going to keep everyone guessing and then: Blam! Some place is going to get sacked, bagged and looted while our fine Air Command is chasing ghosts elsewhere. You should join in. Lots of pillage to be had, if you know what I mean.”
Seth turned to look over to the com console, in part to keep from driving his fist into Jammer’s gleeful visage. “Is that the program in there?”
“Nah. That’s not even a long range. I think they keep it up on the cliff.” Jammer pointed at the ceiling.
“The girl, too?”
“No. They sent the lot to the Abiah.”
“What’s the Abiah?” Seth asked, knowing he was pushing the man too fast. Was he hearing steps coming up the stone corridor?
“The main Arawaj base here, down in the Deeps. Shri-Lan decided to leave the Azon crowd with us for safe keeping. I think their captain, uh, Rakh, wants to figure out who’s going to give him the biggest piece for the beaker-heads. So he made a deal with Sao Lok to keep them all here.”
“A true Shri-Lan,” Seth said. “What sort of base could you manage in a place like this? Those canyons look barely passable. Caves?”
“No. Not really. Don’t let this place fool you. There’s a whole town of sorts carved right into a mountain. Been there for a thousand years. Can’t really see it from the air, can’t land on them, can’t find it on scanners until you get right close. Can only get there by boat or skimmer, if you go slow.” It took a few attempts before he had heaved his bulk up and out of his seat. “Look over there.”
Seth joined him by one of the plastic-covered openings. The barren, craggy landscape stretched to the horizon, broken only by swaths of mist and the occasional, needle-sharp rock spire. But taller, well-separated mountains rose like lonely sentinels above the canyons to form buttes with almost vertical cliff faces. “Those are habitats?”
“Not all of them, but a lot. Old, though. No one left now. Guess this place used to be more fun than it is now.”
“And they’ve sent the captives to one of those?”
“Yeah. Why are you asking me all these questions, Kada?” Jammer lurched to the com console when his attention was required by someone on the airfield below. He exchanged some obscenity-studded conversation with them and then watched, along with Seth, as the Shri-Lan battle cruiser lifted off in a massive cloud of glittering dust. “Fucking good riddance,” he slurred.
“Where are they off to?”
“Going to take the jumpsite to Pelion. It’s the only charted gate in this entire sub-sector. A Shri-Lan wing is waiting there for them. Then the fun will begin.”
“You really don’t like them much, eh?”
“What’s to like? They’re despicable enough to give the rest of us a bad name.”
Jammer laughed as if he had said something utterly hilarious. But his laughter died in his throat when a Caspian entered, followed by several more of his kind. Some of them wore only short kilts to display whatever pattern on their bodies was prized most among them. Seth recognized the dark patches of the highlands and the stripes of the northern regions. Some, like the man at the front of the group, bore sinuous whorls against a paler background.
Sao Lok’s yellow eyes focused on Seth. “Visitor, Jammer?” he said.
“Yeah, dropped by for some supplies.”
“The timing of this is... inconvenient.”
“I know that man,” a female behind him said. “Small time pirate working out of Magra Torley. He was with us on Pelion for a while. Let’s not waste time with this!”
Sao Lok nodded. “Get on that thing,” he snapped at Jammer and pointed at the com panel. “The Human pilot has escaped on the way to the Abiah. Get a crew together.”
“Didn’t think you’d be the hostage-taking sort, Arawaj,” Seth said.
“Maybe it’s best that you be on your way, Centauri,” Lok said. “We are busy here.”
Seth shrugged. “I can help you corral your runaway, if you want.” He gestured in the direction of the Dutchman parked below.
“She’s in the Deeps. Your plane won’t do much good in there.” He paused to consider. “We can use the help, though. There aren’t nearly enough of us to cover that area. If you want to actually earn those coolant tubes, Pirate, get yourself a sled and join the search.” He regarded Jammer as if studying something especially repulsive. “This Human is of limited use now because of you. So you can take his place.”
“What am I looking for? What does that pilot look like?”
“Female Human, red hair.” Lok tipped his head toward Seth’s sidearm. “Watch yourself around her. She killed two of her guards when she broke loose and the third is badly injured. She is now armed.”
Seth nodded and slipped past the Caspians before someone could question his altruistic offer to help round up the prisoner. He rushed down the crooked steps and out onto the airfield. “Did you get all that?” he whispered into his sleeve while running his hand through his hair. He saw a row of air sleds parked at the far side of the cleared space and headed that way.
“Most of it,” Vincent replied amid a wave of static crackling in Seth’s ear. “I don’t dare to send a message out to Air Command. No doubt a packet will be noticed.”
“I’m going after Nova. Try to get Tychon on his feet and get him caught up on that interface thing. We’re going to have to find Nova or this program before they’ll have her use it. See if Acie and Tychon can figure out a way to scan for the transmitter without alerting everyone. It’ll have to be up on one of these mountains to get through the noise.”
“She’s already looking. Nothing seems to be active. They can’t just force Nova to use it, can they?”
“They won’t have to. She doesn’t know about the program! She’ll take the first chance she gets to try to contact us. Let’s hope I find her before they do. Out.”
Seth had reached the pool of air sleds where a few rebels, mostly Caspian, were milling about, seeming uneager to embark upon a search for the escapee.
“Shut up, everyone,” a Centauri shouted. “Where’s Dai? Dai, there you are. The Human jumped ship near the Three Points marker, so not too far from here. Head out that way and then disperse. You won’t pick her up on your scanners unt
il you’re falling over her, so take care.”
“No tracks?” Seth asked.
“That crossroads is flooded right now. She’d be walking in water for quite a stretch in any direction. Signal if any of you see tracks where the ground is higher. Saddle up. We’ve got some backup coming from the Abiah. Let’s get this done before Lok gets any pissier about it.”
Seth climbed aboard one of the air sleds. It wobbled precariously until he balanced the thrusters that seemed not at all willing to work in tandem. He followed the others as they, one by one, dropped off the edge of the plateau and into the canyons.
The Centauri rebel had been right. A shallow lake of floodwater stood where larger gaps in the canyon walls formed a three-way intersection of pathways. All around them jagged turrets of glistening rock rose into the air, some at precarious angles, making the landscape appear more like a cave than a canyon. Massive pseudo-stalagmites of smoky crystal blocked their view of the sky and sunlight did not reach the bottom here. Everywhere he looked, thermal vents spewed steam into the air. Thick mats of moss and other growth clung to the rocks wherever a little soil remained. The boulders, water-filled ditches, and spongy ground promised that handling the sleds down here would not be easy.
Seth sat back on his skimmer and thoughtfully combed his hair with the fingers of both hands. The humidity and heat down here had already turned his skin and clothes damp.
“Going to sit around here all day?” A Caspian had pulled up beside his sled. “Maybe if you wait long enough she’ll come back on her own.”
Seth grinned and waved as the rebel sped off. The uneven whirr of their machines soon faded among the stone pillars. He circled over the swampy ground, looking for tracks. “This isn’t right,” he murmured. “What are you doing, Nova?”
He looked around the shadow-filled chasm, noting the dead silence now that the others had left. Nova would not have run off into the wilds on a planet about which she knew little and without even rudimentary equipment to help her survive. No, she would circle back and climb up to the landing area, knowing that help was on the way. But would she recognize the Dutchman? It had been years since she had last seen his plane and that was several refits and a paint job ago. To her, it would look like just another rebel ship.
He turned his sled. She would try to get back up to the airfield and find a transmitter to get help for herself and the others. She had no other option. And she would use the ANI instead of a packet transit to avoid interception.
Seth backtracked carefully, keeping his eyes on the uneven ground threatening to throw his thrusters out of alignment. This terrain was no more suitable for hover sleds than it was for aircraft. Using boats certainly seemed the most sensible way to get around.
Something appeared at the periphery of his vision when he swung his sled around a jagged bend. A sharp rapport rang out and then searing pain drove deep into his chest and right arm. He had been shot! Fighting panic, he slowed the skimmer but then his grip on the unstable machine weakened and it slid out from under him. He landed with a splash on saturated ground and then found himself staring into the barrel of a gun.
“Damn, Nova,” he groaned, clutching his arm. “Didn’t think you’d still be mad at me.”
* * *
“What the hell are you doing here!” Nova exclaimed and tucked her gun into the waistband of her trousers. She helped him to sit up and then pulled his shirt over his head. Quickly, she wadded it up and pressed it against his pectoral which was bleeding more than his arm. The bullet had torn along his skin but had not entered his body.
“Came to rescue you,” he grunted.
She frowned and looked from him to the crashed sled and then around the steam-filled landscape.
“Don’t say it, Red.”
“Wasn’t going to.”
“Yes, you were.” He looked down at her hand pressing against his wound. “How bad is it?”
“You’re lucky that wasn’t a laser.”
“This was hardly necessary,” he growled. “At least last time I saw you, you only kicked me in the throat.”
“You deserved that. And the last Centauri that flew through here was looking to kill me. Not a lot of friendly ones on this planet. Got any food?”
“No. Sorry,” he said. “They’re not looking to kill you.”
She lifted the blood-soaked shirt to examine his wound. “So what brings you to this place? Don’t tell me you’re friends with the Arawaj.”
“I think ‘friends’ is a bit of an overstatement. I’ve done some, uh, business with them now and again. But I’m here with Tychon.”
“Tychon! He’s here?” She looked around as if expecting him to appear among the craggy cliffs. “With you?”
“Yeah. Still up top. Sleeping.”
“Sleeping!” She sat back on her heels, incredulous. “Oh, right. He had to make two jumps. That’ll have him cranky for days.”
“Three. We came in from Aikhor. Let’s get back to the landing site. Get off this rock.”
“We have to get the others,” she corrected and walked over to where the sled lay with its nose buried in mud. She heaved on it until it moved back and out of the water with a wet gurgle. “We’ve still got most of the ANI team and the Delphian here somewhere. I really don’t want to lose any more. They’re worth more without me around, so I’m hoping they’ll be all right for a while.”
“Let’s get back into those rocks over there,” Seth said. “They’ve got everyone out looking for you. Can you move that?”
“You’re not hurt that badly, Kada, you big baby.”
“Is this lack of sympathy your way of covering up your guilt over shooting me?” He came to his feet and used his uninjured arm to help her drag the sled away from the ditch and into a cluster of sharp-edged pillars of stone. She returned to shuffle through the gravel and matted lichens on the ground to obscure the marks they had left behind.
“So how did you end up here?” she said when they had tipped the sled onto its side. She used her hands to scrape mud away from the thruster ports and intake valves. “Gross. What is this slime stuff?”
“Does it smell fruity?”
“Yeah.”
“Might want to rinse that off.” He sat on a relatively dry boulder to watch her work. “Kind of a long story. How I got here, I mean. Not the slime. But basically, your CO thinks you’re playing with the Shri-Lan now, which almost got Tychon fired and so Carras thought I might be able to help out. Turns out he was right and so here we are.”
She looked up. “What do you mean with Tychon almost getting fired?”
“Relieved of duty till they can sort this out. Stripped of his stripes, so to speak.”
“So it’s just you here? No Air Command support? No Eagles? We have nine more people stuck on this planet!”
“The entire fleet is on alert. But not because of you. Shri-Lan is planning some sort of attack. So a bunch of hostages probably aren’t a priority right now.”
“I don’t suppose,” she said, shaking mud off her fingers.
“But you turned out to be one hot little item, Red. Seems that thing in your head is capable of a whole lot of damage if used the wrong way.”
“What? The ANI?”
“Yeah. The Arawaj have a program that’ll turn you into a walking kill switch if you use the ANI for long range com. Gives everyone who’s plugged in an instant embolism or something.”
She froze, her unseeing eyes still on her fingers. So that was Sao Lok’s big secret. Use her to destroy her own people to end the wars. She felt a peculiar stab of disappointment. Perhaps, even for just a moment or two, she had thought that, just maybe, Sao Lok really did have a peaceful solution to all of this. Instead, she had once again misjudged a Caspian. Would she ever come to understand their way of thinking?
“That Sao Lok is more devious than I thought,” she said. “Well, not much damage I can do while I’m stuck out here in this swamp, is there?” She touched the sled’s starter panel. The machine wh
ined a bit but remained on the ground. She tried kicking it but that didn’t seem to motivate the vehicle, either, and so she tipped it the other way hoping to drain more liquid out of the intakes.
Seth tapped his own neural implant. “Can’t you just pull it off?”
She shook her head. “Not this model. I’d rather not try it, anyway, way out here, without a medi-kit. Who knows what’s crawling around out here. The last thing I want is a gaping hole in my...” She glanced at his bleeding arm. “Oh. Sorry.”
“Thank you, I was looking for something else to worry about.” He came to his feet to crouch beside her. “If you’ve got water in there you might as well give up.”
“No, I don’t think so. This piece is bent and is keeping the—” she looked up when both of them heard the low hum of skimmer. She pulled him up and they scrambled into a narrow space among the boulders to hide from the approaching vehicle. He hissed in pain when she flattened herself against him.
The skimmer stopped. Nova and Seth exchanged a worried glance when they heard a splash and then the sound of someone coming closer.
Nova tried to calm her breathing, too aware that she was pressed tightly against Seth’s powerful body, which he didn’t seem to mind at all. Their bodies were slick with sweat and the oppressive humidity, their clothes damp to the skin. When had he placed his hand on her waist? It felt comforting and familiar. She looked up into his face and found his warmly glowing eyes gaze back at her. Had it been only five years since he left her on that rebel platform? She pulled away a little as if in deference to his injured chest. He tipped his head back against the rock and she was reminded that he was, indeed, in a great deal of pain.
She drew her gun from her waistband. Seth shook his head and reached for his own pistol, a small laser weapon, which he exchanged for hers. Not as effective in this mist but absolutely silent. She nodded and looked around the edge of the rock that hid them.