Star Runners 2: Revelation Protocol (14 page)

Austin lifted his head, his ears still ringing from the explosion. Sweat rolled into his eyes. They would find him first, force him to be a pawn to lure the others into the clearing. Whoever they were, they would kill them all and leave their bodies in the woods.

He clenched his teeth, a sudden rush of energy filling his veins. Grabbing the final clip from his pocket, he slapped it into the gun and waited for the attackers to claim their prize.

Footsteps pressed into the ground near him.

This was it.

More laser fire erupted, filling the air with the distinctive burning sound of laser bolts igniting the oxygen it passed through. This time, however, an engine crackled to life as the lasers fired. Rising to his elbows, Austin surveyed the scene.

Blazing fires completely engulfed the cabin, the heat surging across the clearing and burning his skin. The weeds surrounded him, obscuring him from view. Two ATVs burst through the wooden door of the storage shed, Sharkey at the lead with a rifle in hand. The ash covered his sweaty face. Kadyn wrapped her arms around Sharkey’s waist, her face buried in his back. Sharkey blanketed the area with laser fire, the bolts ripping through the back yard and dropping the mercenaries too slow to dive for cover.

Behind Sharkey, driving like a bull rider unsure if they could hang on to the wild animal, Mom powered the ATV toward him. Austin rose to one knee, his gun still trained on the yard now free of the attackers. Sharkey’s fire had swept the mercenaries into cover for now.

The ATVs screeched to a halt.

“Get on!” Sharkey yelled.

With her skin covered in black ash, Mom shifted back on the ATV, allowing Austin room to drive. Austin slipped the gun into his jacket and limped toward the ATV.

“Where are we going?” he asked.

“Follow me,” Sharkey said, his voice cool.

Sharkey accelerated away from the scene, the woods catching fire and sending plumes of smoke into the sky. Two stray laser bolts exploded into trees as they fled, sending a shower of sparks falling in their path. Pulling back his wrist to accelerate, Austin followed, his vision still blurred from the explosion. His eyes filled with sweat, but he pressed on. Hanging branches scratched at his face and arms as they sped through the forest. Mom gripped his shoulders tightly, her hands squeezing each time the ATV bounced over a dip in the road.

“Hang on back there!” he yelled.

“Yeah!” Mom screamed in his ear. “Thanks for the idea!”

At the crest of a hill, Sharkey turned off the road and stopped the ATV. He slipped off the vehicle, swinging the rifle around in front of him and aiming back down the path.

The brakes screeched to a halt. For the first time on the ride, Austin heard Mom gasping for breath. He tapped her hand and looked to Sharkey.

“Thought you couldn’t use las rifles on dark worlds,” Austin said.

“Seemed like the thing to do at the time,” he said with a wry smile. “Report me later.”

Sharkey leaned against a tree and surveyed the trail behind them.

“What are you doing, Chief?”

“Making sure you aren’t being followed.” He smacked another power pack into the laser rifle. “Kadyn, ma’am, you need to get on the back of the lieutenant’s ride.”

The magnitude of Sharkey’s words fell across Austin slowly. “You’re staying here,” he said, blinking. “That’s crazy.”

“Needs to be done.” He gestured forward. “This trail leads to the lake. Your ride is coming at dusk. We need to hold out until then.”

“But you don’t know how many of them are back there!”

“Lieutenant, please.” Sharkey lowered his gaze. “You’ll frighten the women.”

He pulled another laser rifle from his ATV and offered it to Austin.

“I’ve never fired anything like this in my life,” Austin admitted.

“No time like the present.” He leaned close, his face softening. “Just remember, shoot and move. Don’t let them get your exact position if you can help it.”

Slipping the rifle’s strap around his back, Austin stared at the trail in front of them as it continued down the mountain. The sun had reached the midpoint in the sky, meaning dusk was still a long way off.

Austin looked at Sharkey. “Phantoms for sure?”

“With that tech? Absolutely.” Sharkey wiped the sweat from his face. “I need to make myself less visible. Get to that lake, Lieutenant.”

“I think we should stay together, chief.”

“I appreciate that, Lieutenant.” He nodded toward the smoke towering high into the sky. “Anyone with eyes is going to see that smoke from our altercation. I doubt these mercs will want to hunt us and dodge the local authorities. We probably bought ourselves a few hours.”

“You think they’re still coming?”

“I know they are. I don’t know who hired them, but it doesn’t matter. With the tech, they’re carrying and the force they’re willing to use, these guys are playing for keeps.” He cracked open a silver container the size of a tuna fish can, revealing a black, tar substance. Using two fingers, he dipped into the sticky goo and smeared it across his face. “I’ll stay concealed here until darkness. Once I’m notified you are clear, I will find my own exit.”

“I think we should stay together.”

“So you said.” Sharkey gestured down the path toward the lake. “Lieutenant, go.”

Mom squeezed his shoulder. “Come on, honey,” she said, her voice wavering. “Let’s go.”

Kadyn shuffled over to the ATV and slipped onto the vehicle in slow motion. Her soiled pink pajamas tore at the edges, the corners blackened and burnt. She shook, settling in between Mom and Austin on the ATV. Austin started the engine, staring at Sharkey covering his skin with black.

“I won’t forget this, Chief.”

“I’ll see you soon.” He jerked his head toward the trail. “Go.”

Austin nodded. He accelerated down the trail, ducking under a branch. Rotting logs covered the path. The tires obliterated the former trees, turning the wood into a powder. It took ten more minutes for the trail to flatten. The trees spread out, the land between the towering hardwoods covered with grass. The two-path road smoothed, the ride becoming easier to take. Kadyn’s grip on his hips lessened, through fatigue or relaxation, Austin couldn’t tell.

The path winded around a clump of trees and led to a small mountain lake with a surface smooth as glass. A wooden dock stretched out into the lake, water spiders scurrying around the planks dipping into the dark body of water. Austin pulled the ATV off the path and into the trees, careful to hide the vehicle behind plant life.

He killed the engine and exhaled. With the exception of a birdcall in the distance and the wind rustling through the treetops, silence surrounded them. He slipped off the ATV and pulled the rifle out. Walking back to the path, he saw the black smoke rising on the other side of the mountain.

“Mom, come over here,” he said.

Mom tapped Kadyn on the shoulder and stepped up behind him. For the first time, he surveyed his mother’s torn and battered clothing. Several spots of blood had seeped into her dirty blue robe. The skin under her eyes mixed black and blue, her brunette hair reaching out in different directions like a squirrel’s nest.

“What is it?” she asked.

He reached into his jacket and pulled out the pistol. “I want you to have this.”

“I don’t shoot, Austin.”

“These men do.” He shrugged. “You might need to return the favor. It’s got a few shots left. If something should happen to me, I want you and Kadyn to hide in the woods and move when you think it’s safe.”

“Nothing’ll happen to you.”

“If it does.” He pressed the gun into her shaking hands. He closed her fingers around it.

He looked at the water. “Why don’t you and Kadyn clean up? I’ll keep an eye on the trail and come get you if we have any visitors. As soon as we get where we’re going, I’ll make sure you both get a change of clothes.”

Mom glanced at the water and then back at Kadyn, who hunched over the ATV. “I don’t know how much longer she is going to be able to keep going.”

Austin looked at her. “We need to make it to dusk. Then, everything will be okay.”

“Are you okay?” she asked.

“I have to be.” Austin smiled and placed his hand on her shoulder, but then thought about the question. “I killed people today,” he said, staring off into the woods.

Mom paused. “You didn’t have a choice.”

He stared at the ground, his gut rumbling, his thoughts focusing on the mercenary spinning to ground with his hands clutching his throat. “I know.”

Austin made his way down the path. Mom gently led Kadyn to the water, speaking in soft, assuring tones. Austin found a toppled tree and slipped in behind it, making sure he covered the path with the laser rifle. He leaned the rifle against the log and sat in silence. He closed his eyes, listening to the forest around him.

When he opened them, the sunlight seemed brighter. The clouds had dissipated and made the sky a brighter blue. He took in a deep breath of the cool, mountain air. The sun continued its descent, and he wished he could push it farther. Somewhere in the woods, the Phantoms hunted them. Sharkey, the first line of defense, stood on guard about a mile from their position. But if the mercenaries came in force, if they called in more reinforcements, Sharkey wouldn’t be able to hold them.

He remembered Flin Six. The hours he spent avoiding the Tyral Pirates as they searched for Scorpion. How had he done that? It seemed like a different person had achieved that escape, almost as if he had accomplished the rescue without thinking about it. He thought it made him nervous then, but now his stomach twisted and turned as he thought of the mercenaries storming this position from above. He wasn’t an infantry soldier – he had never been forced to defend a position with a laser rifle. He hadn’t even done that in video games, always preferring to spend his time in the cockpit of a Trident fighter.

He wished he had his fighter now, wondering idly who flew his Trident while he was on leave.

The black smoke in the sky transitioned to gray, dissipating the higher it stretched into the atmosphere. Either the fires died or something put them out.

He looked back to the sun. The transport would arrive in a couple hours. The tension in his chest eased. Maybe, just maybe, they would make it.

A laser shot crackled through the woods, echoing like thunder. Austin gripped the rifle, his aim trained on the trail. He glanced back toward the lake, couldn’t see Mom and Kadyn. They must have found cover. More shots followed, the sounds sizzling. A man cried out in terror, other voices barking something Austin couldn’t understand. The wails of the man cut off sharply. More laser fire ripped through the silence. He tried to calm his breathing, keeping his rifle aimed toward the hill. The laser fire continued, disrupting the quiet of the forest.

Sharkey had engaged the enemy.

The laser shot echoed; a body collapsed to the ground in a heap. Cyclops snorted, kicking the dead man into the garbage pit. He swung around to face the rest of the prisoners, his large hands resting on his hips. His broad bare chest swelled, and he glared with his good eye.

“This is what happens when you steal,” he grumbled

Josh glanced at Delmar, who stared into the dirt with no expression on his face. Waylon stood near his men.

Cyclops slapped his hands together. “Back to work!”

Josh and Delmar moved back to their plow line. Shielding the sun with his hand, Josh peered at the end of the seemingly endless row.

“You’d think they’d bring some plow horses in here,” he mumbled. “This is going to take forever.”

“If we’re lucky,” Delmar said, beginning to work in the dirt.

Josh glanced at him. “You like working in the field?”

“Better than being part of it,” he said, nodding to the garbage pit now holding one of their former coworkers.

“I suppose so.”

The sun lifted into the sky and beat down on their backs. Sweat poured down his skin, drenching the work clothes he had been given back on the asteroid. Josh’s arms shriveled in the past months of hard labor, transforming into wiry muscles stretched over bone and nothing else. He moved like a machine over the field, working in silence by Delmar. Waylon and his crew worked on the other side of the field. Josh looked in their direction occasionally, but most of the time kept his eyes on his work.

Waylon hadn’t mentioned his plan in a few days. Of course, there hadn’t been time for talking. From sun up to sun down, the only rest came in the short nights. And no one felt like discussing escape by the time the workday was over. There were times Josh passed out from exhaustion before eating whatever gruel the pirate cooks had left for him.

At midday, a sonic boom echoed. Josh searched the sky. A rectangular ship flanked by two Tyral fighters descended. Out of the corner of his eye, he watched the transport ship settle to a landing. A pilot exited, and Josh realized it was actually two ships attached to each other. A larger, blocky vessel towed a container that looked like something he would see on the back of a train car.

“It’s a tug,” Delmar said without looking. “They usually carry dozens of cargo containers behind them.”

“A tug?” Josh blinked. “Carrying what?”

“Good question.” Delmar looked at the ship with concern.

Josh thought about the tug and the contents of the container it transported. Could it have something to do with the operation he heard about yesterday? Had the mysterious benefactor sent more equipment to aide in the pirate campaign? He had to find a way to find out.

“We have to check it out,” Josh said.

“You probably won’t be able to get near it.” Delmar waved his arm as if to dismiss the idea.

“I’ll have to try. It might hold something we can use to escape.”

“I thought your friend Waylon was supposed to be coming up with a plan?” Delmar asked.

Josh stared at Waylon, who worked on the other side of the field. “It won’t hurt if I look.”

Delmar stared at the tug and its cargo container for a long moment, his thoughts elsewhere. He bit down on his lip and gave one nod of affirmation.

“I will help you,” he said. “I will get us closer.”

“How?”

“Let’s get back to work,” he snapped. “I will tell you when there are fewer eyes watching.”

Delmar worked in silence the remainder of the afternoon. He focused on the row until they reached the end of the field. He and Josh finished their row first, and the sun had yet to pass beneath the horizon. Cyclops strolled in their direction, his fingers playing with the whip resting in his hands.

“Someone is showing initiative today! If this old man can finish, the rest of you are slacking off!” he yelled at the other workers. He leaned in close to Delmar. “You looking for a raise, old man?”

“No, sir.”

Josh stared, his mouth hanging open. Delmar had never spoken to Cyclops, had barely even looked at the giant.

“You two, come here,” Cyclops said, his voice grim. “I want you both to unload the cargo from that ship over there. Got it?”

Delmar looked at the tug. “That ship?”

Cyclops slapped him in the back of the head. “Of course that ship, you damn fool. Get over there before I change my mind.”

Rubbing the back of his head, Delmar tumbled out of the field. Josh followed him, aiding the man as they hurried past the other workers still focused on the field. Josh met Waylon’s eyes for a moment. He nodded and kept going.

“Are you alright?” Josh whispered.

Delmar looked over his shoulder towards Cyclops and whispered in Josh’s direction. “Yeah, just acting. This just got a whole lot easier.”

They hurried over to the tug. Two guards sat at the fire pit near the landing pad. They watched Delmar and Josh board but shifted their attention to what seemed to be a type of beer and cards on the weapons locker. Josh took note of their recreational interests and stepped in behind his friend.

Delmar stared at the fuel cells, laser power chargers, and scrap metal. “You wanted to get in here?”

“I did.” Josh held his arms out wide. “There’s plenty of room in here for us.”

Delmar swung around to look at him. “You want to escape in this? That’s a bad idea, my friend.”

Josh shook his head. “We load all who can’t fly into this container. Those who can fly, pilot a fighter on the way out of here. Trick’ll be coordinating a curve before the pirates can get any reinforcements after us.”

Delmar gazed into the pale blue sky. “Who knows what they have in orbit?”

“Perhaps nothing.”

“Maybe, but would you bet your life on it?”

Josh sighed. “No.”

Dalmar let out a long breath. “Good. We need to be prepared for any situation. This has to be done right or not at all.”

They unloaded the cargo, stacking the crates in two large piles at the edge of the dirt landing pad. Josh and Delmar emptied half the container when the field workers finished for the day and hobbled back to camp. As they were unloading, Josh saw a large item in the very back of the container. It was shiny and silver, unlike anything else on the ship. He walked over to it. When he approached, he could see his shriveled reflection walking towards it. The object was cylindrical and looked like a bullet.

Josh reached out to touch the device. “What is this?”

Delmar stepped closer. “It can’t be.”

“Can’t be what?” Josh glanced over his shoulder.

“I need to see this.” Delmar put his hand on the item and began inspecting it.

Josh’s heart sped like a jackhammer. He searched the container and found one last wooden crate. “We can’t stay back here long. I’ll take this one out and give you enough time to do what you have to do. Hurry.”

With a grunt, Josh lifted the crate and carried it out into the darkness. The guards still sat around the crackling fire, playing cards and laughing deeply. The tug pilot had joined them, a sparkplug of a man with a wide gut and stumpy legs. He glanced up as Josh set the crate down next to the others.

As he turned back toward the container, Josh knelt down to rub his ankle, trying to act as if he had hurt himself. He listened to the three pirates hurl insults toward one another.

“The hell with it!” the tug pilot barked. “I’m leaving tomorrow anyway, so take all my damned money.”

“When are you coming back?” A guard asked, laughing hard enough for tears to roll down his cheeks. “I could use a little extra income.”

“I’ll be back the day after next,” the pilot said, his voice lowering. “You better be here. I plan on winning the money back.”

“Like hell!” another pirate yelled.

“What’s that supposed to mean? Are you cheating me, Mise?”

When the two men squared off, Josh stood and hurried across the pad. So they only had another day to rest up and plan their escape. Maybe it will work, they could all leave.

Josh stepped into the container, a musty odor stifling the air. During his absence, Delmar had opened the silver container. He stared into it, his forehead wrinkled in thought as if he stared into a wormhole containing the secrets of the universe.

“What is it?” Josh asked, keeping his voice low. Inside the crate, a six-foot long cylindrical object glistened in the faint light. It reminded Josh of a water heater with more gauges and displays on the side. “We don’t have much time. The guards are getting wild out there.”

“I haven’t seen one of these since the last war,” Delmar breathed. “It’s a way station.”

Josh shook his head. “A way station? Who cares?”

Delmar waved his hand. “You’re too young. It’s a curvature amplifier. We Triaxians played with this idea for a while, especially for use as a peace weapon. We could use them to expel enemies from our sector. They’re best used as navigation beacons. You know, for plotting distance curves.”

Josh tapped his foot. “So?”

“So the curvature drive uses up more power the farther you go. During the last war, the factions carried out campaigns across entire quadrants. The massive war galleons of those days were quite a sight, son, but they couldn’t navigate the stars worth a damn.”

Josh shifted his weight. “What’s the point?

“Stations were set up along waypoints by smaller scout ships to allow the fleets to navigate safely across magnificent distances without draining their power supplies.”

Josh stood still. “So Dax Rodon is planning on going somewhere, huh?”

Delmar nodded slightly. “And wherever it is, it’s a long way from home.”

“But for who? Who could afford something like this?”

He smacked the crate shut. “Rodon can’t afford this technology. Two years ago he wasn’t powerful enough to lick a warlord’s boot. Rodon’s getting support from somewhere or someone in order to launch an attack on a backwater system.”

“How do you know it’s a backwater system?”

“Because that’s where he operates.” Delmar shook his head. “It doesn’t make sense to curve too far from home, and, with the hodgepodge of spacecraft he is using, he would need the way stations to make sure he had enough power remaining when he got to his destination.”

Josh thought of the past months and the growing aggressiveness of Dax Rodon and the Tyral Pirates. Delmar’s hypothesis made sense.

“Where would he get these way stations? Another empire?” Josh looked at Delmar.

“Either political or corporate.”

“So what do we do?” Josh asked.

Delmar smiled. “When we leave, we try to take this with us. Otherwise, the gate’ll be wide open for whatever unsuspecting star system Dax Rodon’s benefactor wants him to attack.”