Captain Cosette (22 page)

He smiled. 
“So what are you going to do?”

The voices inside her began to whisper and a plan condensed
, a dangerous and lethal plan.  She lifted her chin.

“
Watch and see.”

Chapter Fifteen

Cosette activated the bay’s computer terminal while Dyson guarded the sullen Garale.  If nothing had been changed, she should be able to interact with the station’s main computer as though she were on the command deck.

She tapped the keys, tested systems, and found everything operational. 

She ran her hands through her hair nervously as she reviewed her plans.  From everything she knew about the station, her strategy seemed sound.  She hoped her tactics were sound also.  Every step depended on the previous step to work.  There was no room for error.

She glanced at Dyson, who even in his yellow prison outfit managed to look handsome. 
“Major?”

“
Yes?”

“
I’m about to record something, so don’t make any noise.  Garale, if you try to say something I’ll just re-record this, so don’t try to play the hero by interrupting me.”

Garale glared at her through his puffy eyes and muttered something unrepeatable.  His face was swelling and turning colors.

She looked at the clock, pressed a key and spoke with what she hoped was an authoritative voice.  “This is not a drill.  You must evacuate this entire station immediately.  Run, do not walk, to the nearest escape pod.  Missiles will explode in three minutes within the confines of this station, and it will be destroyed.  You have three minutes to evacuate this station or die.”  She paused, watching the second hand.

“
This is not a drill.  You now have only two minutes and thirty seconds to evacuate this station.  Check the missiles in the cruiser in Bay Three; you will see that they are armed and counting down.  They cannot be stopped.  You will die if you do not run to the nearest escape pod and evacuate.

“
You now have only two minutes to evacuate this station….”  She continued recording until the three minutes had elapsed, and she pressed the key again.  She set the recording to play over the station’s loudspeakers when she ran it.

She next made sure that the loudspeaker system around the
station could not be shut down by the central command, and that they could not override the proper release of the escape pods.  With the knowledge burned into her brain about every system in the station, and with the help of the voices whispering to her, she tried to anticipate any maneuvers the ruling officers might attempt.

She reached above the keyboard and pressed a button, connecting her microphone directly to the station’s speakers. 
“Cadet Rasora, you will report to Maintenance Bay Number Three immediately, and I mean immediately.”  Her words echoed in the bay and, if she had the settings right, throughout the station.

She called to Dyson as she ran towards the
ir captured Union cruiser.  “Major, when Rasora gets here, shoot the keypads on both entrances.”

“
That will lock us in.  Are you sure?”

“
It will also lock everyone else out.  I’m sure.”

She opened the cruiser’s lower bay where the missiles were kept and climbed inside.  She opened the side of a missile and inspected it carefully.  These were the blockbuster missiles, the ones that could take out a city, not the small tactical missiles that the fighters carried.  She shivered at the power that lay in the long thick cylinders.

Inside her brain lay the schematics of the missile, and she inspected its circuitry to see if it had been modified.  Seeing no changes, she put her hands on the timer.

Five
minutes
. 
I
need
to
do
it
all
in
five
minutes
. 
I
can’t
take
longer
;
they
might
break
in
and
disable
these
missiles
. 
I’ve
got
to
time
this
right
.

“
Spinner?” she called.

“
May I help you?” asked the robot as it poked its lenses into the missile bay.

“
Could you count down from five minutes, saying the time out loud every thirty seconds?”

“
I can do that.  Five minutes.”

“
Don’t start yet.  Not until I tell you.”

How
long
will
it
take
to
set
each
missile
?

There were five missiles she could reach easily, and she opened the side of each one.  It should only take one exploding to set them all off, but she wanted to be sure and double-sure it would work.

These
things
scare
me
to
death
,
but
here
goes
.

She set the first missile timer for five minutes and thirty seconds, started the timer, and then pulled the wire that would have allowed the station command to shut it down remotely.  They would see in the command center that it was armed, but they would not be able to disarm it without getting their hands into the missile as she had done.

She would make sure they never had time to do that.

She set the next missile, and the next and the next, her hands working swiftly
and without thought.  She timed it well; when she activated the last missile, she said to Spinner, “Start counting down now.”

“
Five minutes,” said Spinner.

“
Out, get out.”  She pushed Spinner out of her way and rushed back to the terminal.  She pressed the enunciator button again.  “Cadet Rasora, if you are not in Maintenance Bay Three in sixty seconds, you will spend a week in the brig!”  She turned to Major Dyson.  “Get ready to shoot the keypads.”

“
What do you think you’re doing?” Garale said, his voice thick because of his swollen nose.  “You can’t…”

Cosette pointed to him and glared. 
“Shut up.”  Garale closed his mouth.

“
Four minutes and thirty seconds,” said Spinner.

Cose
tte ran to their rebuilt Union fighter and ripped off the security tape over the hatch. She climbed inside and powered it up. 

I
can’t
believe
I
didn’t
check
out
the
fighter
before
setting
the
missiles
. 
Please
,
please
,
don’t
let
anything
be
wrong
.  

To her great relief, every light showed green.
  The fighter had been sealed and untouched.

She climbed back out.

“Four minutes,” said Spinner.

“
Give me the gun,” she said to Dyson, “and you and Garale get in the fighter.”

Dyson handed her the gun, but Garale shook his head. 
“Just leave me here.  You don’t need me anymore.”

Cosette grabbed him by the collar and hauled him to his feet. 
“Get in the back of that fighter and sit still.  I won’t have your blood on my hands!”   She looked at the blood that was now on her hands from his still-bleeding nose.  She wiped them on his shirt.  “There are no escape pods in this bay.  Now get in!”

Garale reluctantly climbed into the Alliance fighter
, followed by Dyson. 

She walked back to the terminal.

“Three minutes and thirty seconds,” said Spinner.

Where
is
Rasora
? 
What’s
keeping
him
?

She paced back and forth, wondering if she should disarm the missiles, if she should call for him again, if she should abandon everything and try to escape.

Maybe
he’s
asleep
. 
Maybe
he’s
being
kept
prisoner
. 
Maybe
he
finally
found
a
woman
and
is
about
to
kiss
her
for
the
first
time
.

No.  Not Rasora.  He had a dead twin that he was still mourning. 

A
dead
twin
that
was
killed
after
I
was
taken
away
from
my
home
…

Home
!

She gasped as she suddenly realized that her memories
of home were now free and uncovered.  The file on strategy, a huge amount of information, had been covering them, and now that barrier was finally breached.

I
can
remember
! 
I
can
remember
my
childhood
and
everything
!

Rasora
and
his
brother
Imsami
were
the
ones
that
took
me
away
from
my
home
. 
I
tended
vines
in
the
highlands
and
I
never
had
a
loved
one
,
not
really
. 
And
my
step
-
father
whipped
me
when
I
damaged
the
ambrosia
fruit
vines
! 

My
own
stepfather
gave
me
the
scars
on
my
back
.

She had been mistreated, but now she saw it in perspective, and it made her more determined. 

“Three minutes,” announced Spinner.

She shook off her childhood memories.  It was time to start the recording
, which was timed to run for three minutes.

She pressed a key, and her recorded voice began to sound in every room throughout the station. 
“This is not a drill.  You must evacuate this station immediately.  Run to the nearest escape pod….”

There’s
no
going
back
now
.

Rasora was too late; she could wait no longer.  She needed time to fly the fighter safely out of the bay.  She hoped that he had made it to an escape pod.

She ran to the far door of the maintenance bay and shot the keypad, locking the door shut.  She was running back to the first door when it hissed open. 

Rasora walked through.

“You took your sweet time!” she shouted.

“
I was in the shower!  Then I heard your voice and didn’t even towel off!” he shouted back.  “What’s going on?  What…”

She saw armed soldiers running down the corridor behind him.  She shot the keypad beside Rasora and the door slammed shut.

Rasora spun around, confused.  Cosette’s voice continued over the loudspeakers, “You now have only two minutes to evacuate this station.”

“
Two minutes,” said Spinner.

“
Spinner, that’s enough.  Go climb in the hold of the fighter and lock yourself in!  Rasora, get in the fighter and strap in!  Run!”

Rasora looked uncertain, but he
didn’t argue, especially with Cosette holding a gun.  He ran and leaped into the back of the fighter beside Garale.  “Hey,” he said, strapping in.  “What happened to your face?”

“
Go burn in Hades,” Garale mumbled.

Spinner climbed into the small hold of the fighter.  As the robot closed the hatch, Cosette noticed that their bags had not yet been removed.
  Security must have sealed their ship and then gotten busy elsewhere.