Space Rats

by Jacqueline Kirk

  FOURTEEN

  When they were a good distance from the station Troy joined the others in the lounge where they were sprawled on the couches.

  Tristan stood up when his brother came in and said, “It’s actually the early hours of the morning, perhaps you should get to bed.”

  “We’re not tired,” Troy objected.

  “Really?” Tristan replied looking pointedly at the others.

  Troy turned to find that Orla leaning against Lena’s shoulder with her eyes shut while the older girl looking as if she might fall asleep any moment. Ziggy was on another couch yawning widely. Seeing his friends so tired it suddenly struck Troy how exhausted he felt himself. The rush of trying to get away from Calhoun then getting back to the ship just in time had finally left him feeling drained.

  “Yeah, I guess you’re right,” he admitted.

  Saying goodnight to them all Tristan headed off to the bridge where Krista was. The rest of them slowly made their way to their rooms, uttering their own sleepy goodnights to each other.

  Troy didn’t even bother to take off his clothes, simply kicked off his shoes and flopped down on top of the bed. Sleep came almost instantly and he was so tired that he didn’t even move from that position until he woke up several hours later.

  Stumbling into his small bathroom he used the toilet then took a good look at himself in the mirror. He still had circles under his eyes from not enough sleep but he could live with that. Looking down at his clothes he noticed that they were dirty from crawling through the vents and running through alleyways. Stripping them off, he dumped them on the floor then had a quick shower, feeling much better and more revived.

  Putting on some clean clothes he wandered out to the kitchen and got a glass of water, sipping it as he wandered to the bridge to see if anyone was about.

  The bridge was quiet and Troy noticed it was on autopilot. Checking Krista’s computer he noted the course they were on but didn’t recognise the destination. Stepping back from the computer he stood gazing out the front windshield and enjoyed the way the stars sped past the ship. Everyone back at the home thought that being out in space was only black and white but when you were up in a ship it would soon become clear that space was not simply black with white stars. There were blues and reds, purple, yellow, green and every other colour imaginable all from the debris of exploded planets or collapsed stars that could have disappeared thousands of years ago but little pieces still existed.

  Troy found it very peaceful to just stand there and watch it all go past. The hum of the engines was a soothing background noise that didn’t interrupt his mood. The sound of approaching footsteps made him turn around, though.

  “Hi,” Krista said as she saw him.

  Troy smiled but didn’t say anything simply turning around to gaze back out the windshield. He heard Krista going to her computer console and punching a few buttons but didn’t pay much attention until she actually spoke.

  “I was keeping an eye on the Station communications for as long as I could before we were out of range,” Krista began, turning to Troy. “It seems a Shee’an ship was seen approaching. Something that doesn’t happen very often so they made a note of it in communication logs.”

  Troy grinned and exclaimed, “That’s great! So they’ll get to go home, at last.”

  Troy continued to smile, feeling as if he had succeeded in something good, but he did worry about the other kids that had no one else to care for them. Sighing as his mood darkened a little he wandered back to his room where he gave his room a quick tidy. This consisted of kicking the dirty clothes into a corner and the rest of the junk under the bed.

  By this time he could hear the others beginning to stir and went back to the kitchen where Ziggy was heaping a bowl full of cereal and emptying what was left in the carton of milk.

  “Better take it easy there, Ziggy,” Troy advised, “Who knows when we can restock – don’t want the food running out!”

  He sniggered at the look on Ziggy’s face as he stood staring at his large bowl of cereal and Troy knew he was trying to figure out how to put some of it back.

  “Relax, Ziggy, I was joking!”

  Ziggy smiled in relief then went to the table where he sat down before starting to eat. It wasn’t long before Lena and Orla were also seated at the table with their own bowls of cereal.

  A few moments passed in peaceful companionship when Tristan came on the intercom telling them to come to the bridge. He hadn’t sounded worried so they didn’t panic but still hurried to the bridge where Krista and Tristan were looking out the front windshield.

  Coming to stand beside them, Troy and the others gazed in wonder at the sight before them. Directly in front there was a large cloud that shimmered blue, red, gold and green while the stars shone through it, twinkling with various colours.

  “What is that?” Ziggy asked as he tried to look at it all.

  “It’s a nebula,” Tristan told them.

  “What’s a nebula,” Lena asked.

  “It’s a cloud of dust, hydrogen gas and plasma that becomes ionised so you can see the light bouncing off it. That’s why there are so many colours. I’ve always loved nebulas.” Troy said to them, adding the last comment quietly as if more to himself.

  The others simply looked at him but when he said nothing more they continued to gaze at the rippling colours of the nebula. The cloud flowed and swirled gently making it look as if there were lights that changed colour constantly.

  “What’s that?” Ziggy asked, pointing to the centre of the nebula.

  The others looked to where he pointed but couldn’t see anything at first and then they did. In the very centre of the nebula there appeared to be dark shapes that looked as if they were swimming in the cloud but they couldn’t quite make out what they were.

  “Hang on a minute!” Krista said before going to her console.

  The front windshield changed to a computer screen and then zoomed in on the centre of the nebula where they could clearly see what was there.

  “They look a bit like dolphins,” Lena remarked.

  “What are dolphins?” Troy asked in confusion.

  Lena looked at him in exasperation, “Weren’t you there when we did Earth’s history in class? Dolphins lived in the oceans of Earth and were thought to be quite intelligent.”

  “So, they were fish?” Troy asked her.

  “No, they were not fish!” Lena retorted, annoyed, “They were mammals! Anyway, I was just saying they look a little bit like them although these things have rounder noses and their flippers are bigger. What are they anyway?”

  Troy looked at Tristan who shrugged. “I don’t know what they are, I’ve never seen anything like them before.”

  “How can they survive out there anyway?” Ziggy asked in wonder. “I mean, what do they breathe?”

  Troy shook his head and shrugged, “Maybe they can only survive in a nebula, maybe it’s got everything they need.”

  They continued to watch the nebula creatures as they swam amongst the clouds of gas and dust, their movements graceful and acrobatic. Little swirls of colour followed them as they stirred the cloud around them causing flashes of gold and silver.

  Troy pulled his attention away from the nebula to see that his brother and Krista were studying her computer screen intently and then Tristan abruptly stood up and stared out the front windshield. But Troy could tell he wasn’t looking at the nebula, he was staring so intently as if he could force himself to see beyond it.

  “What is it?” Troy asked him curiously.

  Tristan continued to stare out the windshield as if he hadn’t heard his brother. Troy began to feel a little tendril of fear as Tristan’s face turned cold and angry.

  “Tristan?”

  Finally, Tristan pulled his gaze away from the windshield and looked at Troy who almost stepped back from the anger and pain he saw there.

  “It’s Red Raven,” Tristan said quietly.

  Everyone turned to look at Tristan
and Troy. They knew how the brothers had come to be at the Home for Displaced Children and they knew about Red Raven. The sudden spate of news stories about him had worried their friends who had no idea how to bring the subject up. It was Krista who finally spoke.

  “You guys okay?” she asked, looking from one to the other.

  Tristan held up his hands in reassurance, “Don’t worry, we’re not going to go on a revenge killing spree!” He and Troy laughed but the others looked a little shocked at his choice of words so they sobered quickly. “Anyway, we just don’t think it’s something our parents would have wanted taking over our lives.” He frowned as he thought, “But we also can’t sit back and let him hurt someone else if there might be something we could do to prevent it.”

  When he paused for a moment Krista spoke up. “What are you wanting to do?”

  “Red Raven is scum,” Tristan told them, “whatever he’s doing here we can be sure it’s no good! Krista, is there any way you could break into his communications and find out?”

  Krista nodded and said, “I think I should be able to, it might take me a while.” With that she turned around and began to work on her computer, completely focused on her task.

  “What can the rest of us do?” Ziggy asked.

  Tristan thought for a moment then said, “I need you three to get everything stored away. The kitchen and the cargo bay especially, I don’t want any flying knives to hit something important!”

  “Umm, why?” Ziggy asked, looking a little worried.

  “Just in case we need to make a fast escape! Nothing to worry about!” Tristan grinned and then he disappeared to the engine room.

  “Come on, guys,” Troy said to his friends, “Let’s get it done fast. There can’t be that much, we tidied it all away in the cargo bay, I know that. Lena, maybe you should check your plants?”

  They hurried away to do as much as they could, not really knowing how much time they had to do it in.

  As it turned out they had a lot more time than they expected. It was taking Krista a long time to break into Red Raven’s communications as she explained to them when they all came back to the bridge an hour later.

  “He’s got a really sophisticated security system on his network that I just can’t get past,” she told them as she punched a few more buttons. “I think I’ve figured out a way to get around … Ah! That did it!”

  They all crowded behind her as she scrolled through Red Raven’s communication log. She flicked through various screens faster than the others could keep up.

  “Hey, slow down!” Troy protested.

  “There’s something here,” Krista told them, “It’s like a hidden screen. All these communications are just normal ship-to-ship notices for his fleet.”

  “He has a fleet?” Lena asked, sounding a little worried.

  “It says here that he has four other ships with him,” Krista explained, “Not much of a fleet, I know, but it is if they have enough fire power.”

  Troy caught the look between Ziggy and Lena at the mention of fire power but Tristan was already speaking before he could say anything.

  “What’s on the hidden screen?” Tristan was asking her.

  “I don’t know yet,” she answered, sounding distracted. “I’m just looking for a back door – just give me a minute.”

  They waited impatiently as she worked on the computer. Troy checked that they were still on the set course that would take them a bit closer to where Red Raven’s ship was when they first intercepted his communications.

  Assured they were still heading the right way he turned back in time for Krista to give a cry of success, which made everyone crowd even closer. Leaning away from them, Krista couldn’t help laughing.

  “Look, I’ll put it on the front screen so you don’t have to practically sit on my head!”

  They all smiled a little in embarrassment and turned to view the front screen where all of Red Raven’s secret communications were displayed. Krista scrolled through to more recent ones and stopped so they could all see the dates and the messages themselves.

  Tristan frowned and looked more closely at the screen and pointed. “Krista, click on that one.”

  Krista did as he asked and the message expanded so they could see it fully. It didn’t take long for them to realise what it was Red Raven was up to.

  “He’s going to rob the merchant line!” Tristan exclaimed.

  “What merchant line?” Troy asked his brother.

  Tristan explained to them all about the merchant lines that went from one galaxy to the next, exporting and importing goods from all over. It was a very lucrative business and these merchant lines could have cargo worth millions in their cargo bays. It was also very risky and there were a few times that attacks were made on them, usually with very little success but not always. It very much depended on the attackers and how well organised they were.

  “Is there a specific ship they are going for?” Lena asked.

  Scanning a few more messages Ziggy suddenly pointed and said, “There!”

  “The Siren,” Tristan read out then frowned slightly, “That’s a passenger cruise ship. Why would he be going after that?”

  “Maybe there’s someone on board he wants?” Troy suggested.

  “No, it’s not a person,” Krista told them.

  She was flicking through some more messages when she found one that contained details of The Siren. “See? The ship is carrying gold bars from Anastra.”

  “From where?” Ziggy asked.

  “Anastra is a planet that has the purest form of gold ever found anywhere. One bar is the equivalent of ten normal ones,” Tristan explained. Catching the look on Troy’s face he added, “It was Mum and Dad’s job to know these things!”

  “Okay, but why put it on a passenger cruiser?” Troy asked.

  Tristan shrugged, “I don’t know. So it wouldn’t be obvious to everyone what it really was? It’s probably been disguised in crates of something else.”

  “So, if the gold has been secretly disguised as something else,” Lena mused, “that must mean that Red Raven has people working on board that ship. Maybe even in their security.”

  There was a pause as everyone thought about that. What Lena had said was true. To know about the Anastran gold meant that someone who had handled it must have informed him.

  “Krista,” Troy turned to her, “are we still in range of Phoenix Space Station?”

  She thought for a moment then nodded, “I could boost the signal a bit more. Want me to contact that ISF guy?”

  Before answering he turned to his brother. “We can’t do anything on our own. He could at least alert someone to the possibility of an ambush.”

  Tristan looked thoughtful then looked at Krista, “Do it. But don’t let them know where it came from.”

  Krista turned back to her screen and busily tapped on the keys. “Done!” she said triumphantly but then her face became pensive as she watched her screen.

  “What is it?” Tristan asked her, not seeing anything out of the ordinary.

  “I think someone is hacking our communications,” she said just as the front screen lost all of Red Raven’s messages and an image of a man appeared in their place.

  Everyone froze, unable to believe that they had been found by none other than Red Raven himself. The face on their screen was scowling as piercing blue eyes scanned them all. A tattoo of a red raven decorated the side of the man’s bald head and a line of gold hoops went up the edge of one ear.

  “Can he see us?” Ziggy whispered to Troy.

  “Well, well,” Red Raven drawled, “What have we got here? A ship full of space rats!”

  “I think that’s a yes,” Troy replied to Ziggy.

  “It just so happens I’ve been looking for you,” Red Raven continued in a friendly tone, “There’s something on that ship that I want and if you’re very good I’ll let you fly away once I have it.”

  Tristan took a step forward so he was in front of the others. Troy adm
ired his bravery even though he could see he was shaking just as much as he was.

  “We have nothing that belongs to you!” Tristan said firmly.

  Red Raven smiled as if he had just heard something incredibly funny. “I didn’t say it belonged to me, I said I wanted it. Now, one of my men will come aboard, retrieve it and we’ll be on our way.”

  “No way,” Tristan replied, “Not one of you pirates is getting on here!”

  “Pirates?” Red Raven laughed, turning from the screen to say, “You hear that men, we’re pirates!” He laughed again then his face quickly changed to anger. “I want that crystal! If you don’t hand it over willingly I’m going to make you.”

  Tristan swallowed nervously but continued on despite his fear. “Your not getting on our ship and that’s final!”

  “Aren’t we rude!” Red Raven tutted in mock surprise before his face went almost blank he was so angry. “Well, children, time for a lesson in manners.”

  The screen went blank and it took them a moment to get over the shock of seeing the very man they were trying to thwart. Krista quickly changed the front screen back to normal and they could see coming around the edge of a far off planet the shape of a large war ship.

  “Stations!” Tristan shouted and ran off to the engine room.

  Troy dived into the pilot seat while the others scrambled to get themselves strapped in. Switching the auto pilot off Troy swung Star Chaser around and flew away from Red Raven and his ship as fast as he could.

  “Krista, we need somewhere to hide!” he cried.

  “I’m on it!”

  The ship suddenly lurched as something hit them from behind.

  “Shields are holding,” Krista informed them, then added, “I don’t know for how long though!”

  Troy took a deep breath to steady himself and get his focus. Keeping an eye on his console screen he managed to dodge the next two laser blasts that came their way but their pursuer was getting closer all the time. If they didn’t find some way to out manoeuvre them they weren’t going to last very long.

  “Here,” Krista cried, “There’s a cluster of small planets! We could lose him amongst them!”

  “Wait!” Lena exclaimed, “What about the people that live there!”

  “The planets are too small to sustain anything larger than insects and plants. We won’t endanger anyone.”

  Troy ignored the background chatter as he flew his ship to the co-ordinates Krista had given him while trying to avoid Red Raven’s weapons. He was also trying to block out the memory of the last time that ship had been chasing them and fervently hoped this time the outcome would be different.

  It wasn’t long before they reached the cluster of small planets and Troy flew right into the middle of them without even slowing until the last minute so he could turn the ship behind one of the larger ones. Such small planets had no real gravitational pull but he still had to be careful not to get very close or they would risk bouncing off the planet’s atmosphere.

  Checking his screen he was relieved to see that Red Raven had slowed down. His much larger ship couldn’t manoeuvre too well but that didn’t stop him from blasting with his lasers.

  Blast after blast came right into the middle of the planets and debris from the very small moons that circled the planets that couldn’t withstand such treatment showered them and they began to break up. It was only when one blast seemed to catch the small moon closest to them at just the right angle and it exploded with such force it threw them towards the surface of the nearest planet and it took all of Troy’s skill, half-dazed as he was from the explosion, to keep them in one piece.