Pressing the tip of the finger with her thumb to stop the bleeding, she reached for the ice bucket with her good hand. She scooped a few cubes into a glass and rested her scorched finger on a cube. Leaning over, she pretended to read the labels on the bottles as she examined the blue film that was covering the walls.
Ultra-indigo waves—only obtainable by passing light through Weinwar crystals, which were highly valued in the Andromeda Galaxy because Chikara was the only planet in which they could be found. On top of that, Hayashi was very choosy about who he sold the crystals to.
Nirvana narrowed her eyes. Something wasn’t right. Maybe she shouldn’t do this at all, not that she had any other options at the moment. She should just accept it and try to find a way out of this clusterfuck. Reaching for the most expensive-looking drink, she pulled off the stopper and poured it into the glass.
“Two million,” Dein said, finally breaking the silence.
“No bargaining.” She turned back and walked towards him, stirring the drink with her index finger. “You also have to trust me and let me do things my way without checking on me. All this,” she waved at the hologram, “can’t possibly be done the legal way, and if you put a tracker on my ship to monitor my every move, I’ll end up exposing all my contacts.”
She sniffed the drink and took a sip. Yuck, she shuddered. Never understood men and their choice of alcohol.
Dein was still glaring at her and the index finger stirring the drink.
“And lastly,” she added, “while you feel comfortable placing your absolute trust in someone who’d just betrayed his country, I need to do my own assessment of him. He is not to know of my crew’s involvement in this mission.”
Dein delved into his pocket, pulled out a small box, and opened it before placing it on the coffee table. Then he picked up the drink he poured for Nirvana earlier and swirled the ice around the glass noisily.
Inside the box, was a small and shiny metal-encased pill.
Oh.
“The timer is set for three months,” he said. “You’ll need to return here to reset the timer if you’re going to take longer than that.”
She studied the pill for a bit, picked it up and toyed with it in her fingers. Taking a deep breath, she raised the pill to her lips and cast a steely look at him. “The down payment has just risen to four million credits, Galactic chips. Split it amongst my men and release them at different locations.”
Kerimar Dein curled in his lips and snarled at her. She held his glare, folded her right arm slowly across her waist and rested her left elbow on her right hand. With a steady rhythm, she tapped the pill on her lips, taunting him.
He clenched his jaw as he stuck out his hand. “For Panderon.”
Nirvana clasped his hand. “For Panderon.” She popped the pill into her mouth, took the drink from his hand and washed it down.
Chapter 3
For Panderon my ass, Nirvana grumbled internally as she was placed back into the PCU. Dein had turned down her request to be placed in a regular prison cell and told her frankly that he didn’t trust her enough to give her visuals of the layout of his spacecraft. He also denied her request to speak with her crew because he felt that they would collude against him the moment they got a chance to speak with each other.
She didn’t understand how he thought this was going to work if he was going to be so paranoid about her. His suspicions were annoying, but not unfounded. She would have tried to escape the moment she got the chance.
It was a long trip to Panderon, so this time, she was transported horizontally instead of vertically for her comfort. But being engulfed in total darkness and silence with little room for movement made it stifling even though the PCU was well-ventilated.
Nirvana tried to keep her mind busy thinking about the task at hand. She wondered how Dein managed to get hold of her whereabouts and track her movements to such precision that his fleet of fifty battle space jets were lying in ambush just minutes away from her spacecraft when she came out of warp speed.
It was unlikely any of her crew betrayed her, but she wouldn’t rule out that possibility. She would do her own investigation later.
Right now, her focus should be how to get herself out of this mess. She was unfamiliar with the mechanism of the pill she had just taken. Was it cyanide? An explosive? What did Dein mean by resetting the timer in three months? Would it be activated if she tried to surgically remove it from her stomach? It probably would. Dein would have anticipated that move from her.
She should have been upset at the way she was ambushed and strong-armed into accepting the job but instead, her fingers were tingling with excitement. What would it be like to sneak into the military stronghold of Asago and steal the battle plans from right under Chorax Hayashi’s nose?
She really needed to get her disdain for Hayashi under control. It had become too obvious, and predictability was a fatal flaw in her line of work. If she survived this, she should really lie low for a very long time.
Nirvana couldn’t help herself when it came to matters regarding Chorax Hayashi. Dein wasn’t wrong when he called her a vigilante.
Hayashi came to power by throwing all his morals out of the window. It wasn’t beneath him to resort to unscrupulous means to get what he wanted. News of his brutality travelled all over the galaxy, but no one did anything about it.
The more well-to-do citizens of the planet Chikara had long ago migrated to other planets, but the majority who could not afford space travel were left behind to suffer the tyranny of his rule.
Nirvana couldn’t stop Hayashi from his conquest, but she tried to give the oppressed a fighting chance. She had been intercepting Hayashi’s supply ships and delivering the stolen necessities to the rebels. The Chikarans had fought a very long civil war, and she definitely had a part to play in prolonging it.
She knew what Dein was referring to about Hayashi amassing a huge amount of resources at his hometown province, Asago. She had just intercepted a shipment of Proetium cells that Hayashi had demanded from the province of Estra. The governor, Kojiwa, secretly hired her to help because the people needed those cells to tide them through winter. She didn’t rob the entire shipment, but she took enough for them to pull through.
She didn’t get paid as well for these jobs, but it wasn’t always the money that made success sweet. Like her father, she made it a point to only take from those who were enjoying excess.
Her father was a big fan of the Earth folklore of “Robin Hood,” and those five-thousand-year-old stories had a huge influence on her growing up. However, she wouldn’t call herself a saint. She had done plenty of jobs out of greed. While it did bother her that Hayashi might be attacking Panderon and harming more innocents in the process, it didn’t bother her enough to want to do it for free.
Nirvana knew Dein couldn’t have strong-armed her into accepting the job if she really didn’t want to. She was enticed by the possibility of screwing up Hayashi’s plans to invade Panderon. It would be her greatest accomplishment to date. It didn’t matter to her whether she succeeded or not, but more of how far she could go before she got caught. She craved adrenaline. Perhaps if there were a rehab for adrenaline addicts like her, she should check herself in. If she managed to get out of this alive, that is.
But what was life without risks and adventure? It would be worth it, if she could thwart Chorax Hayashi’s plans even if just a little.
Chapter 4
Nirvana must have dozed off at some point. She was woken up by someone speaking into the communication port to inform her that they had reached their destination and that she was to get ready for a meeting with Dein.
She stepped out of the PCU into a meeting room. Dein was already waiting inside with a bespectacled young man.
“Faust, this is Zane.” Dein gestured to the lad with a look in his eyes that said this-is-the-defector. “He will be working with you on this mission.”
She held up a hand to signal to them “hang on” while she rubbed her e
yes to get accustomed to the light and do a double take at the defector. She had imagined him to be a crafty-looking middle-aged soldier, since he was high ranking enough to be in possession of the stronghold’s layout.
However, this man looked nothing like that. He looked like he was in his early twenties—tall, lanky and a little slouchy. Judging by the size of his arms, he probably could do a respectable amount of pull-ups, but his punch wouldn’t knock her out. He didn’t have the build of a soldier, but more a pen pusher who made an effort to work out at the gym regularly. The thing that really caught her attention was his messy head of luscious, black wavy hair which she felt the urge to run her fingers through to tame.
“Faust.”
Nirvana snapped her attention back to Dein. Still feeling very confused, she asked, “He’s the defector?”
Dein cleared his throat a little, “Zane got us the blueprint to the stronghold; he’ll assist you in extracting the information we need.”
She shook her head. This didn’t make sense at all. She didn’t have a fixed image in mind on how a defector should look like, but definitely not like this. This guy looked more like a nerdy student barely old enough to graduate.
“General, the type of work I do requires a lot more fitness than your regular soldiers,” she said sharply. “Unless you’re telling me that Zane here can match the fitness of your elite soldiers…”
Dein turned to look at Zane and pondered her question. It irked her even more that Zane just stood there and took her insults quietly without defending himself.
Nirvana sighed inwardly. She’d just have to take Dein’s word that this Zane person was everything he claimed to be. “We need to leave as soon as possible,” she declared. “Preferably in one of the Battle Falcons you used to ambush me yesterday.”
Zane’s eyes rounded with shock as he turned to look at Dein, who in turn looked expectantly at Nirvana to explain herself.
“Hayashi definitely has spies in Panderon. Your defector,” she angled her head towards Zane, “should be familiar with the way he works.” She could see Zane tense up as she used the d-word on him. Good. She enjoyed goading him.
“All of my soldiers go through a strict selection process,” Dein retorted, looking offended.
“You made a big show of welcoming me to Panderon. It’s only a matter of time before Hayashi hears about it. But, it’s your call.” She shrugged. “We can always test my theory to see if every single one of your millions of soldiers are unwaveringly loyal to you.”
Dein scowled at her and turned around to look at Zane.
“She’s got a point. I mean… Hayashi is…. She’s right,” Zane stammered, his gaze darting back and forth between Nirvana and Dein. “But do we have to leave right now?”
“Do you have any concerns?” Nirvana asked, narrowing her eyes.
“Just…could I make a call to my mother before we leave?” he asked softly, avoiding eye contact with the both of them.
His mother? Oh sweet heavens!
“I will arrange for that,” Dein said, to Nirvana’s surprise. He called for someone to come to the room and escort Zane to make his call.
“I’m really curious how he managed to defect successfully,” she said, after Zane left. “Didn’t you feel the least bit suspicious when you saw him? And why would he want to go back after trying so hard to get out?”
“His loved ones are with me,” Dein said. “That’s about all I can tell you. Anyway he’s got everything he needs with him. He’s ready to go after his call. I’ll fuel up a Peregrine and you can leave anytime you want. The money’s already with your men. I’ve followed your instructions to split them up.”
Good. If one of them had betrayed her, this would entice him to take off with the money, although she was sure none of her crew members would.
Nirvana was transported straight to the hangar in the PCU and assigned a pilot to give her a crash course on the basic functions of the Peregrine. She was in the middle of it when Zane boarded, looking very out of place. He was carrying a small suitcase and a duffel bag, like he was boarding a passenger shuttle. She rolled her eyes and ignored him, focusing on finishing the lesson as soon as she could.
After the pilot left, Nirvana was running through the functions again mentally when she felt someone hovering over her. She looked up.
Zane was unscrewing a component from the controls above her. He pulled out the part, handed it her and continued unscrewing more sections of the component.
He looked like he knew what he was doing, so she watched him quietly as he took out a few pieces part by part until he pulled out a slim chip. He grinned at her as he placed it on the dashboard and screwed everything back together.
“What are you doing?” she asked when he was done.
“Removing the tracker.” He flicked the chip out of the window.
“You’re familiar with the Peregrine?” asked Nirvana, narrowing her eyes at him.
“Sort of. Are we leaving now?”
“Yes. The General has given clearance.”
He got into the seat beside her, strapped himself in and quickly activated the weapons. He was about to put on the headset when he realized she was staring at him.
“I’m sorry, would you like to have the guns instead? I saw you…” he gestured to her controls, “and I thought you wanted to navigate.”
“Did you see the other pilot giving me a crash course earlier?” asked Nirvana, feeling annoyed.
Zane nodded.
“Why didn’t you say something when you came on board?” she snapped at him.
“I didn’t want to interrupt. Besides, I’m not that familiar. I just happen to know some basic functions,” he said, gaze darting around the control panel. She noticed his ears turning red.
“Alright. You stay on the weapons then. I’ll navigate since I know the way.”
Nirvana berated herself secretly. She should have known better than to think less of someone who had successfully defected from Chorax Hayashi. It was always a fatal mistake to underestimate anyone. She, of all people, should have known that and would do well not to repeat that mistake again.
She taxied the Peregrine out of the hanger and took off into the atmosphere. Once she got out of the gravity field, she set the coordinates, warped them to the planet Gebo and set the ship on auto pilot. Then, she unbuckled and stretched. The long hours spent travelling in the PCU earlier had made her sore all over.
“Do you want something to eat?” Zane asked. He unbuckled and reached behind Nirvana, pulling a box out. Placing it on his lap, he pressed a button. The lid hissed open and the smell of greasy burgers and fries filled the cockpit. He slotted the box, which turned into a sort of elevated tray, in between them.
“I didn’t know there were food compartments in battle jets,” she commented, reaching for a burger.
“Yeah, ambushes can take a long time,” he replied nonchalantly while wolfing down his burger.
The information surprised her. She looked at him from the corner of her eyes. “What was your role in Asago?”
“I was in security.”
“How does someone in security know so much about battle jets?
“I have to scan the vehicles and crafts that enter the stronghold.”
Nirvana wanted to ask more, but she was distracted by the way he was decimating his burger. When he shoved the last piece into his mouth and savored it with his eyes closed, she asked, “Would you like some of mine?”
He sat up with a jolt. “No. No no. I just… I haven’t had breakfast, and I really like burgers.”
“You don’t have burgers in Asago?”
He shook his head. “We’re constantly at war and resources are scarce. We consume nutrient bars and drinks most of the time. Cooked food is a luxury reserved for festive occasions.”
She shook her head. “What a miserable life. I would have defected long ago if I were you.”
Zane choked a little, but resumed eating and made no comments.
&nb
sp; “So how did you manage to defect with the blueprint?” Nirvana had to push. It was hard getting this fella to talk.
“I… It’s…” He made a few frantic gestures with his hands. “It’s easier for me to explain how I got out when we’re discussing how you’re going to get me back in.”
He lifted his glasses to wipe the perspiration off his face and pushed his unruly hair back before putting his glasses back on.
“Why are you wearing glasses?” Nirvana frowned and leaned in to take a closer look at his glasses. “Corrective surgery is so easily available now.”
Zane smiled, plucked the glasses off his head and gestured for her to put them on. She did, and he reached out to touch the frame.
What she saw blew her mind.
She could see the navigation paths to all the different planets, distance to the nearest warp point and the names of the significant stars that were within sight.
“Look at the control panels,” he told her excitedly. The functions of the different buttons of the Peregrine flashed before her eyes. “If you spend a bit more time looking at a certain button, you’ll be able to read the functions in detail.”
“Now I know what you mean by ‘sort of.’ I’ve never seen anything like this.”
“No, you wouldn’t have.” He grinned at her and said shyly, “I invented it.”
Nirvana raised her eyebrows and nodded her head slowly at him. “Very impressive!”
He mumbled a thanks for her compliment, ears turning red as he took his glasses back from her. She couldn’t help the corners of her mouth from tilting up when she saw him trying to suppress his smile and act nonchalant about her praise.
She had a hard time figuring him out. On one hand, he looked and behaved very much like a harmless nerd, but on the other, this was the same guy who defected from Chikara with a detailed map of the stronghold. She was about to probe further about his defection when an alert went off from the control panel.
Fatal Extraction Page 2