The Azophi Academy Complete Series Boxed Set: Unique Military Education

by TR Cameron

  Her tongue was sharp enough to cut. He answered, “I told them we wouldn’t say anything, that we’d simply take our package and go.”

  “And you expect that will make everything all right, is that it?” Cia stood up, placed one hand on the bars, and lifted the opposite leg, then grabbed the heel and twisted. It rotated outward and she took a small device from the interior, then closed it. She paused for a second as if considering her options, then sighed. “Catch.” She threw it to him and he caught it, knowing the clock was running for a reappearance by the guards. Apparently she thinks my plan is flawed, which is appropriate since it was a crap plan.

  The object in his hand turned out to be a small explosive. It would be more than enough to take out the lock on his cage. He slapped it against the back of the panel and twisted away, and it went off five seconds later. He’d expected a loud concussion, but instead, its plasma melted the lock without a sound. He stomped on the embers that landed on the wooden floor to ensure the place didn’t go up and stepped into the area between the cages. “Don’t suppose you’ve got another one of those?”

  “No. So it’s your job to get me the hell out of here. I figured you have a better chance than I do.”

  He strode toward the closed door and peeked out. Whoever’s job it was to watch the captives apparently either fell asleep at the wheel or moved at a snail’s pace because the corridor was free of enemies. The lockers with the weapons he’d found were one room away, and that seemed like the only option for freeing Cia. Sounds of alarm from below bounced up the stairs, suggesting that the timeframe for their escape was rapidly diminishing. He grabbed two of the rifles and headed back to the cage room.

  He ordered, “Stand away,” flipped the switch to energy, and blasted the lock. The third shot broke it, and the door swung open. He handed her the second rifle. “Energy. Back wall. Go.” He fired his weapon at the rear wall, putting holes in the thin material that lay between the support studs. She added her efforts to the barrage, and he swiveled to fire at an upward angle through the closed door behind them, hoping to at least slow down the pursuit. When he turned back, he judged that they’d run out of time to deal with the wall.

  “Follow me.” He threw the rifle strap over his head and positioned it at his back, then ran and jumped at the wall. It splintered as his body struck it, and he sailed out into space. The ground came up quickly, and he rolled to his right to avoid being hit by Cia’s plummeting form. He had feared she’d freeze, but like most of his concerns about her, he’d been wrong. He charged for the tunnel with her on his heels and ducked involuntarily as a bullet smacked off the wall behind him. He slapped the panel and pushed her through the door, then closed it barely in time to intercept the next barrage.

  He growled, “We need to get to the ship and lift off. Whatever the Professor wanted us to come home with, it’s beyond our grasp now. Go, go fast.” She ran, and he stayed on her heels. At the end of the tunnel, he stripped off his outer shirt and wrapped the rifle in it, thankful he’d worn a t-shirt underneath, given the chill in the corridor. Cia ditched her weapon, lacking anything to hide it with. When they emerged, they walked as quickly as they could without drawing notice to themselves, certain there would be people searching for them in the station. If the older man had been sincere about the military op, he’d want them back to keep it under wraps, but the act of putting him in the cage after their chat had damaged the small amount of faith he’d had in the man’s sincerity.

  They reached the hall that led to the hangar and dashed for their ship. His practical side wanted to damage the door so no one could follow them in, or at least make sure the Twinkletoes was too broken to pursue anytime soon. Cia’s warning not to tick off the owner of the station foiled the first, and the presence of the robots with the rifles stopped him from doing the second. Instead, he ran onto the ship and sat down in the seat next to Cia as she brought the Grace back to life.

  Getting permission to leave was the initial challenge. “Station, this is the Grace, requesting an immediate departure slot.”

  An amused voice asked, “Tired of us so soon, Grace?”

  Cia forced a laugh. “Just got word from home. Sick sister. Have to get there as fast as I can.”

  “You’d be surprised how often we hear that one. It’s probably the second favorite, after dying grandmother.” A chuckle sounded over the connection. “Grace, you are first in line to depart, after you clear the departure fee.” She did so, and the clang of the hook disengaging from the bottom hull rang out. “You may move to the vacuum lock when ready.” Like an airlock on a ship, the station had an intermediate space that allowed them to keep the hangar pressurized, eliminating the need for connecting tubes and the like.

  He muttered, “Hope we don’t get stuck in there with the Twinkletoes.”

  As she flicked switches and issued voice commands to the ship’s autopilot, she replied, “Do you think they’ll chase us?”

  He nodded. “More than even odds on that one. Their reaction suggests we stumbled onto something they won’t want us talking about. We should get to the nearest viable jump point as quickly as possible.”

  “Really, ya think? I’m so glad you’re along to provide useful advice.” The playful banter they’d had on the way in had been replaced by an icy sarcasm that almost hurt. What he had seen as an operational protocol, she’d seen as a breach of trust, and that difference of perspective had clearly damaged their partnership. He promised himself he’d do what he could to repair it once they were someplace safe. The control scheme that included the EMP controls appeared on his display as the Grace lifted, rotated, and headed for the lock.

  “Your ship’s fast, right?”

  Cia nodded. “Yeah. But there’s no guarantee they showed us everything their ship has in the tank, and it’s starting preflight now. We’re only going to have a minute or so lead on them.” She shook her head and blew out a heavy breath. “If we survive this, you and I are going to have words. Mine will be loud.”

  “Understood. Let’s make sure you get the chance.”

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  It proved to be a minute and thirty-seven seconds from the moment they blasted out of the vacuum lock until the Twinkletoes emerged. It immediately oriented on them and kicked into max acceleration. Cia growled, “Okay, they appear to be serious about this. For them to be going that speed, they must be pulling power from their artificial gravity, which means they’re willing to hurt for it.” She tapped her control panel and the Grace suddenly felt like she was flying twice as fast, given the increased pressure on his chest.

  He observed, intelligently, he thought, “Oomph.”

  The pilot chuckled. “It’s going to get worse. For now, kick the rear shields to eighty percent, and split the rest on the front and sides. No telling how long their guns are. If you see a torpedo launch, you’ll need to be quick on the adjustment in case it comes in from the side.”

  “They can do that?”

  “Yep. Torpedoes are awesome. Wish we had some.”

  He sighed and moved his seat a little farther forward so he could easily reach the panel. “What do we have?”

  Cia grunted. “Speed. Shields. The EMP. You, me, and the autopilot. The guns and suits in the armory. And that’s about it.” She turned to face him. “Is there anything else you’re not telling me about why they’re so hot to catch us?”

  Jax shook his head. “No. It has to be that we stumbled onto the UCCA equipment. Unless it’s about the package, but that really wouldn’t make sense.”

  “Okay. Then the best thing for us to do is get out of here so we can report it.”

  “Could we send a message now? Maybe in the open, so they know that the secret’s out there?”

  She rolled her eyes, a hint of her former playfulness in the action. “Do you really think I wouldn’t have already tried that? There’s a solid blizzard of signal jamming focused right at us. And before you ask, yes, it was there from the moment we left the station. Some
one’s got a friend in station security, but not with enough pull to get us blocked from leaving.”

  He smacked his palm on the armrest. “Dammit, I despise competent enemies.”

  Now she laughed for real. “Good way to put it. Me too, so hopefully we’ll outrun them. But if we don’t and we have to do the EMP thing, we should be able to get our ship going and escape before they recover.”

  A slow smile spread across his face. “Those suits are vacuum-rated for a short time, right? And the rifles Grace carries have stun capability?”

  Cia frowned. “Yes, both of those things are true.”

  “Is the autopilot able to keep us in front of them for a while so you can show me how to use the workbench and printer in the back? I might just have an idea to turn the tables on those bastards.”

  “No.” His spirits dropped until she continued, “But I’ll instruct you over the intercom. My girl has cameras everywhere.”

  Jax grinned. “Now we’re talking. Let’s make it so if they do catch us, they wind up regretting it for a long time.”

  He’d formed the casing with the 3-D printer, put in a heating filament from the workbench, and attached it on a delay to a button. Then he’d used a laser cutter to slice open as many bullets as he had time for and packed in the explosive material, basically a much more advanced version of gunpowder. The shell of the unit was angled and reinforced in such a way that it would work a lot like a shaped charge. My demolitions instructors would be proud.

  That, unfortunately, was the easiest part of the plan. He suited up and returned to the piloting compartment with two of the Grace’s rifles and his helmet in his hands. He locked the helmet down and put the weapons across his lap, first ensuring he could still reach the controls.

  Cia asked, “Do I want to know what you’re going to do?”

  He chuckled. “Probably not. If we have to hit the EMP, your job will be to get the ship up and running as fast as possible. I left the rifle we captured in the armory, and it needs to be delivered to the Academy and then to someone in Special Forces, regardless of how my little adventure turns out. If you haven’t heard from me by the time the Grace is ready to go, leave without me.”

  She grinned. “Happily.”

  “I’m not kidding. Promise me.”

  Her voice turned serious. “I got it. Primary objective is getting the rifle to Special Forces, but it will really suck for me if I come back from the mission without you. The Professor is going to give me a bad evaluation, and frankly, I don’t need anoth…I don’t need one. So, you need to be sure you’re on board before time runs out.”

  Jax nodded. “How long have we got before this goes down?”

  “Long enough for me to go get suited up just in case. Fly straight and watch for torpedoes.” She flicked on the autopilot and headed toward the back. He checked the display, which showed the other ship gaining despite their best efforts to outrun it. He couldn’t call the final results based on what he saw, but he had the feeling it wasn’t going to be easy. Nothing has been so far. Why should this be different?

  Cia returned and took her seat, clipping the helmet into place beside her. “Only thing left to do is ride it out and see what happens.”

  He cleared his throat. “Um, hey. I just wanted to say I’m sorry. For not telling you.”

  She turned to face him and lifted an eyebrow. “I’m not sure what sort of people you’re used to dealing with, but words don’t matter much to me when it comes to stuff like this. Actions count.”

  “I’m the same way.”

  “So, I guess my response is this: Prove it.” An alarm sounded, and she quietly killed it. “Their weapons just went hot. Increasing energy to the shields. Watch for torpedoes.” It seemed like he could feel the ship slow as the power was distributed away from the thrusters and to the defenses, but that was impossible. Brains work in funny ways. He kept his hand braced over the controls, ready to adjust their defensive balance if the situation called for it.

  Laser blasts smashed into the rear shields; their pursuers had apparently tired of the chase. He watched the shield power percentage drop as they pounded it continuously. The Grace could take the beating easily, but eventually the defenses would require more energy, which would slow them all the more. All told, their chances of escape were dwindling.

  “Okay,” Cia said, confirming his thoughts, “We’re going to plan B. Watch this.” She called, “Grace, play hurt.” The ship shuddered as the engines went haywire, providing inconsistent power to the thrusters, which sputtered and slowed them even more. “Now the question is, do they want to kill us, or do they want to talk to us? If the former, we’ll have to get nasty and ram them.”

  Her statement was cut off by the arrogant voice they’d heard from the other vessel before. “Grace, stop running and prepare to be boarded. I’d like to take a look at my new ship rather than destroy her. Of course, if you’d prefer to go down in flames, just keep those engines on.”

  She muttered, “Bastard,” then triggered her microphone. “Affirmative, Twinkletoes. Powering down.” She killed the channel and said, “Grace, play dead.” The ship went silent except for life support, which continued to blow air around. She grabbed her helmet and gestured for him to take his. “The EMP is still charged, but the systems at risk when we deploy it are shut down. So, as soon as they’re close enough, I can knock them out. Grab a battery from the armory and hook it into the hatch controls. The connection is obvious. That’ll give you a fast exit, and I’ll open it for you when you get back.

  He finished securing his helmet and grabbed the rifles. His voice sounded hollow as he reminded her, “If you don’t hear from me, you’re gone.”

  She nodded. “Cross my heart. Go, and try not to make me leave you behind. I’ll look bad if I manage to lose the new guy.”

  Jax was hanging on to the grip next to the midship hatch when Cia breathed, “Here we go. EMP deployed.” A sound that was more like a feeling, kind of a sizzle of static, fuzzed his brain for a moment. She’d told him the comm would be down for a while too, so he didn’t wait for additional confirmation. He yanked down on the lever to open the hatch and looked out into space.

  The pilot had fulfilled her promise to point the ship the right way before she knocked both vessels offline. The Twinkletoes was only a hundred meters or so away, and its midship entrance was on a diagonal from where he stood. With a deep breath to steady himself as he admitted to himself that this, too, would not go on the list of his top ten good ideas, he launched himself into the gap between the ships.

  With no friction to slow him, he flew straight and true at his destination. He pulled up his legs and got them oriented toward the other ship. At the moment of impact, he absorbed the sudden deceleration on bent knees and activated the magnetic soles of his boots. They latched onto the hull with a solid snap that he felt in his stomach. Who needs a dropsuit, really?

  It was cold, the deep freeze of space at work on the emergency-weight suit he wore. It wasn’t designed for large stretches of unprotected vacuum. Jax uncovered the adhesive strip around the edges of the shaped charge he’d constructed and pushed it against the hatch. With the ship’s systems down from the EMP pulse, the internal bulkheads wouldn’t activate, so he gave the pirates an extra minute before detonating it so the ones too stupid to already be in their protective gear would have time to get into it.

  He pushed the button and took several steps away during the delay. The device exploded, tearing a hole in the ship that was larger than he’d feared, but smaller than he’d hoped. Atmosphere whooshed out of it, along with a stream of debris that hadn’t been locked down inside. Didn’t think about that. Hope whatever the Professor wanted us to find wasn’t in there.

  He’d realized something while he was in the cage, replaying the meeting with Carter. His initial conclusion had been wrong. When the stolen item had been mentioned, the alleged intelligence officer hadn’t looked at the floor; he’d checked his wristcomm. And the only reason for him t
o reflexively look at that was if the package wasn’t nearby. Like, if it had never left the ship.

  Careful not to rip his suit on the jagged edges, Jax released his mag boots, rotated around, and pulled himself headfirst through the hole he’d made in the side of the pirates’ ship. He grinned at the thought of getting a little payback and shouted, “Come out, come out, wherever you are!”

  He yanked the first of his two rifles into firing position and headed for the open hatch across the way that led deeper into the vessel.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Jax checked for a second time to be sure that the switch was set to stun. The armory on the Grace had been more impressive than he’d first thought, complete with rounds that would penetrate flesh but not ship hulls, grenades, and the choice between stun level energy blasts or incinerate-your-enemy level energy blasts. He’d grabbed at a web grenade, but she’d reminded him over the intercom that gravity played an important part in its operation, and there wouldn’t likely be any. He’d put it regretfully back in the rack.

  The Grace’s databases had included the basic floor plan for this ship model. The Twinkletoes had two levels, with stairs at each end. Cargo, Engineering, and cabins below, more cabins, the piloting compartment, medical, and a large open space that was probably recreation above. The hatch had brought him in on the bottom level, and he headed aft toward Engineering, where he figured he’d find people at work on restoring systems.

  The minimum crew numbered four, but the ship could sleep twice that in comfort and up to twelve with bunks in the lower cabins. He was hoping for less than eight, on the assumption that some of them might not have been able to get back to the ship in time. Worst case, he could have three or four ahead of him, and the rest behind.

  He moved fast, knowing the clock was ticking. A closed hatchway in his path posed a danger, but his only option was to go through. Naturally, it was locked. With a growl of annoyance, he punched the energy level up to high and trained the weapon on the handle, aiming downward so he wouldn’t accidentally slice through anyone on the opposite side.