Gunship (37 page)

—————

“I’m dead.” Reilly lay back on her bunk with her eyes closed, part of her pre-mission ritual, when time allowed. Dead men feared nothing, they had nothing to lose. In death there was no pain or hesitation, nothing to get in the way of doing what had to be done. Reilly focused on the void, welcomed it, let it swallow her up like it was a ravenous beast. In this moment, everything grew calm, the storm could rage around her, but she would remain untouched. She was a warrior, and fear had no hold over her.

She slowly opened her eyes and looked up at the bottom of the bunk above her. An old family photo, a picture of her brother before he went away to the military, her and Jeremy before he died, a worn label from a bottle of Whitehot she had finished off on a particularly bad day, a prayer card from her mom, and one old, pressed four-leaf clover in a piece of plastic with wishes for luck. She was beyond all of that now. She could meet death on even ground confidently and unafraid. It was time to get to work.

Reilly broke out her favorite rifle and set it up to clean it while she waited on the crew to return. It helped her to relax as she fell into the rhythm of breaking the weapon apart into its components. Her handheld beeped as she wiped her hands and picked it up. She had been running decryption programs non-stop since they brought the ledgers on board. The latest encryption program hadn’t made a dent in the Welch cipher. She was beginning to think nothing would. Still, never one to accept defeat gracefully, she cued up the next program, a hybrid of two other programs, and then hit run. She set the handheld back down as it began to process the hundreds of pages of scanned cipher data from the ledgers and, feeling nostalgic, decided to load up the old CD player. A few moments later, she was contentedly cleaning the trigger assembly of her gun to the old-time rock-and-roll sounds of Guns and Roses, one of her favorite bands. She cleaned and lightly oiled the metal parts, then put the laser assembly back together and did a function check on the weapon. The rifle charged up without issue as the last song ended, and she set the gun back down on the table, turning to focus her attention on her blaster.

“I don’t think they let prisoners have those.”

Reilly looked up at Chang and scowled. Unperturbed by her look, he stepped through the hatch and picked up the rifle, looking it over. The CD looped and began to play again as Chang plugged his ears, pretending to be in pain.

“What? Don’t you like my music?” Reilly chided loudly with an evil grin over screaming guitars.

“This is music? I thought it was some type of deafening device designed to destroy my eardrums! See? I tell you, you won’t need guns, just blast this at Crazy Ray…then again, that might not work. He might like it!”

Chang dodged as Reilly threw a small screwdriver at him, catching it as he moved and returning it to her as she hit the pause button on the CD player. He grew serious.

“You ready for this?”

“You know I am, Gunny. When have I ever been not ready for a mission?”

“And if he’s already dead? If I was wrong and they didn’t keep him alive?”

“Then Crazy Ray better hope his Enforcers get to me before I find him. Unless he has more insiders on my ship, in which case Tiny and Marek will simply hand me over to die or kill me on the way.” Reilly smiled grimly at the thought.

“Neither of them is working for that man. Marek has been a friend to Ty for a long time, and he has already shown himself to be part of the crew by fighting with us. Tiny may be working for Zain, but not because she is here to kill anyone. Besides, she dismantled that EMP when she could have just as easily set it off. No, if she had been here to kill us, we’d already be dead. Gaiden don’t waste time, they execute and move on.”

“Well, there’s a comforting thought—at least I’ll die quick!” Reilly joked. It was strange how gallows humor could help get you through black days. As if making light of it somehow made it all easier to bear, made the tough stuff pass by you faster.

Both of their faces darkened, though, as they thought again of Ty. He wouldn’t be so fortunate. Crazy Ray would make certain of that. Reilly figured, if he was still alive, then they had about thirty-two hours before he got to the station. She wasn’t sure how long after that he would have before Crazy Ray started his detainers working on him. She hoped it would be long enough.

They both looked up as her handheld beeped. Chang glanced at her and she shook her head.

“Another failed encryption program, I’d bet. I’ve been burning through them double-time, and still nothing. This one must have been a hybrid of two others that had already failed.” She turned her back and started to load her ruck with her tactical gear.

Chang watched her for a moment, then walked over to turn off the beeping handheld. He picked it up and paused, then looked at it.

Reilly turned to ask him a question as he turned to face her. He held the handheld up facing towards her with a grim expression.

“It worked this time.” His voice sounded hesitant.

“What does it say? Can you read any of it?” Reilly hurried over to take a look.

“It says that it’s not good news.”

Reilly scrolled through the first ledger pages, disbelief lighting her features as she scrolled faster through the data. Finally, she sat back against the table.

“He’s building an army of implants. An army made up of AOC and ISU forces to take over the galaxy. And he’s working with the damn Vhax ! Shit. We need to get this to Commander Zain.”

“I already know.” The Commander stood in the doorway, his face drawn, and held up his handheld.

Reilly and Chang walked slowly towards him, straining to see what he was showing them. A vid played, showing devastating strikes against Parvan followed by an AOC indictment of Zain as the leader of a xenophobic rebellion responsible for the deaths of over 2.8 million civilians. A speaker indicated that the Vhax had agreed to cooperate with the AOC in efforts to locate the rebel bases and capture Commander Alex Zain. Zain clicked the screen over to another vid of an AOC press conference. The current commander-in-chief stated he would be tendering his resignation in favor of a stronger leader, one who would be able to better unify the galaxy and protect it from a repeat of the genocidal wars that had torn it apart. Reporters demanded a name, but the man told them that the new leadership would present itself shortly and that he hoped they would be patient as this was a matter of national security. Zain clicked it off and dropped it into his pocket.

“We’re out of time. It’s already begun. Send me what you have and go get your sergeant. Then get the hell back here. We have a war to fight.” He turned for the hatch, then turned back and threw some papers on the table.

“I almost forgot. Congratulations are in order, Campbell. You’ve all been reactivated under the Special War Powers Authority. I need experienced fighters. Consider it payment for the medical care of the kid. Don’t get killed, we need you to win the war,” Zain said half-jokingly as he walked out the door and off the ship.

Reilly and Chang picked up the papers from the table. Per the requirements of their military service agreements, they each had two years left on their reserve duty, during which they could be recalled in time of galactic emergency and returned to full duty status. Zain had even drawn up papers to have Seth drafted under the Civilian Military Support Act as an essential resource for the defense of galactic security.

“How very thoughtful of him, I’m sure Duv will like that.” Chang grimaced as he chucked Seth’s paperwork back on the table.

“What will I like?” Duv stuck his head in through the hatch.

Chang tossed him his orders. “Congratulations, Jackson. You have been officially reactivated to active duty with the ISUs.”

“What? Is this even legal?” Duv pulled open the orders and began to read.

So this was the game the Commander was playing. He helped them out and then got them reinstated in the military. Reilly would have served against Welch anyway, even if she hadn’t been ordered into it. They all would have. But what Zain had just pulled was unprofessional and out of character, even for him. Zain was calculating, he was cold, and sometimes he was a real bastard, but one thing he was not was rash or impulsive. And this didn’t feel like it had been planned out. It felt more like panic. Reilly finished reading her orders.

“Yup. It’s legal.” Reilly tossed her copy down on the desk. “Nice touch, him highlighting the abandonment of post clause and the espionage clause for use in prosecuting those who refuse to report for duty: death by firing squad or death by electrocution.”

“Well, I guess it’s good to have options…damn! I still have a whole year left on this contract!” Duv said despairingly as he scanned the rest of the document.

Chang snorted. “We have two…so does Ty. Seth has four.”

“Seth? He drafted my son? He’s a civilian…oh, he drafted him as a civilian for the scientific research division. That’s just great.” Duv’s sarcasm resonated with all of them.

Reilly brought them back to reality. “Forget it. Forget Zain. Ty is out there right now counting on us to come get him. I don’t intend to let him down. We can worry about all of this bawoon bullshit when we make it back.”

“I think you mean
if
we make it back.” Tiny stepped through the hatch with Marek, picked up her orders, and jammed them into a cargo pocket. Reilly noted she didn’t seem surprised by this new turn of events and then reminded herself that it probably didn’t matter. Orders or not, Gaiden served for life.

“I’m not planning on this being my last mission, are you? “ Reilly stepped towards Tiny, looking dangerous. “We are going to get Ty back, either by intercepting the Tethers or, if we have to, by going in. And then we’re all going to fly the hell back here and get Seth. Compared to some of our past missions, this should be a walk in the park. Marek, button us up. Duv, let’s get flying.” Reilly shooed them out of her cabin and headed for the bridge, with Duv and Tiny trailing behind.

“Piece of cake, really—Enforcers, crazy psychopath dude with giant laser rail guns, throw in a few bounty hunters, a couple torture experts—sounds great, I really can’t wait, can you?” Duv’s continued sarcasm was lost on Tiny, whose mind was obviously elsewhere. Marek took his orders in hand and pushed past them, muttering something about a “head on a pole” as he went towards the cargo bay.

“Man, sometimes it really sucks being the only sane one on this ship.” Duv piled into the driver’s seat and began warming her up as the tenders took them out.

Zain watched Dark Angel 97 depart the station. The release of the vid just made it easier to drop orders on them to ensure they stayed in play. He hadn’t expected to receive the lucky break Reilly handed him. The ledgers were of interest and would be examined by his people, but the cipher was really what he had wanted. Now they would be able to decrypt Welch’s private communications and find out what the bastard was really up to. And maybe, just maybe, this could turn things in their favor. They would need any extra edge they could get with both the AOC and the Vhax after them.

The Tether set down outside of Roen. It was easier to get planetside since the two orbiting defense stations had been taken out. No one had spotted his reentry. He dressed like a local and walked the four miles into the main town, then headed for the Iron BAR, the main ISU hang out. He ordered a drink and leaned back in his chair, waiting.

The place was already crowded, people mingling and talking as they danced, drank, or played cards. Bits of conversation floated through the noise—“better scrap that engine…”, “no, she’s not my girlfriend, I swear…”, “another shipment coming in next week…”, “yeah, she won’t admit it but she’s missing him, that pilot really spun her head and then he just takes off! Poof! Gone! Just like that, hell of a thing. At least he told her goodbye! I didn’t even get that from Joby Ty!”

The man set his drink down and zeroed in on the blonde doing the talking. He listened for a few more moments, then ordered another couple of drinks and pushed his way through the crowd to where she sat with her friends.

“Excuse me, ma’am but I noticed you were sitting here all by yourself and I couldn’t help but think to myself how is it that such a beautiful woman is not out on the floor dancing with her man?” He smiled and set the drink down in front of her as he waited.

She eyed him suspiciously and then turned to her friends and whispered something. They all giggled. She gestured at the open seat and he slid in with an athletic grace, showing off muscles, as she took a long sip from the drink he bought her.

“My man,” she said testily as she stirred the ice, “took off in his ship without so much as a goodbye, so apparently he didn’t think I was that beautiful.” She play-acted at pouting a little until he took her hand.

“Well, then I would say that your man must have been blind and stupid to be missing all of this. But I guess that’s all right by me, since I get to enjoy some fine company instead!” The man smiled at her again, making her giggle as she took another drink.

Before long he had her dancing, and then talking a blue streak about everything and anything. He kept them all plied with good whiskey while she spilled her guts about Ty, the ship, the guns, and little Holly, the favorite of pilot Duv Jackson.

The blonde was beginning to slur her words now as she hung on his arm. “So she says to me he said he has to go ’cause his kid’s sick or something. So I says to her, ‘where’d they go?’, and she says they was going to some ISU hospital to get the kid fixed up by proper docs. And that’s when I told her, ‘honey, you been sold a bill of goods. That man ain’t coming back. He has a kid, then he’s got a wife too somewhere, and all you been is some fun while he’s been cooling his heels planetside.’ Well, let me tell you she didn’t like that!” The girl hiccupped and then giggled again.

“Well, that is something else! So did he say which ISU hospital they were headed for?” The man poured her another drink. The other girls were either already passed out or close to it and leaning on each other around the table.

“Nope! And that’s what I told her, what you’re saying right there. He wasn’t going to no hospital, ’cause he would’ve told you where and he would’ve kept up with you on the span or something. He’s going back to his wife! That man didn’t even leave her a forwarding address…and she still says he’s coming back…Ha!” And with that, the blonde passed out too.

The man waited a moment, pausing to finish his drink before wandering casually outside. He walked down the street until he found himself on the outskirts of town and turned in the direction of his ship. He pulled his handheld out and punched in a brief message to his employer: Campbell headed to ISU hospital facility; sick crewmember; expect return to Roen; will reacquire upon return. He sent it and continued on to his vessel to begin mapping out possible plans of attack and to call in a few reinforcements. If the Dark Angel did return, they’d be ready for her this time.

—————

“Captain, they’ve already gone in.”

Reilly turned to look back at Tiny, then gazed back into the dark void of space. They had arrived within their targeted time, but not soon enough. The Tethers had already transited through the portals in the asteroid field and were heading into Crazy Ray’s space station. Tiny had picked up the two ships from the fight in the starfield above Roen and confirmed that they were just moments from arriving.

“Duv, put her about and head for the nearest solid cover, something with decent terrain or a cave to hang in until we need you.” Reilly stepped off the bridge as Duv wheeled the ship towards a small, barren planet they had passed earlier. Tiny handed off the electronics suite to Duv and followed the Captain.

Reilly walked into her cabin and pulled open her locker, then rummaged through the contents. In a moment, she had the black shirt she had worn on the Vervian heist, a pair of dusty BDU pants, and combat boots to match. She stripped down and pulled the dirty clothes on, then grabbed her blaster, a jacket, and her tac-ruck and headed to the bay. Tiny met her on the way, dressed in the standard gray gear of a bounty hunter with heavy armor plating. On her back she sported a scoped rifle, and although they were very well hidden, Reilly could make out at least seven cleverly concealed knives in and around her kit. As they stepped onto the catwalk above the bay, they both paused, looking down on the captured Tether ship that Zain had provided to them. Chang and Marek were running the final checks on the ship as it hovered above the floor, rear doors open and waiting to receive its prey.

Marek was also dressed as a bounty hunter, and to further the charade, he had added some facial tattoos with Chang’s assistance. Those alone made him look fierce, but he also carried an electrified flail in addition to a tactical harness that sported a blaster and twin tactical daggers. They both turned as Reilly and Tiny stepped up to the ship.

“Well, she looks pretty good. If anything will get doors to open, it’s this ship and the Captain as captive!” Marek grinned, looking like a demonic shaman from some long-lost tribe. The smile looked so odd that Reilly was forced to grin in spite of herself. She tossed her ruck to Marek, who promptly stowed it and returned to join Tiny.

“Once we get on board the station, Crazy Ray’s staff should have you escort me to the detainment wing. With any luck, they’ll have me a spot close to Ty. Once we get onto the wing and you dump me in a cell, you’ll be free to wander the area and find the ventilation shafts. Tiny will rig up the transmitter, and then she and Marek will come back to break us out using one of the control cards from either a detainer or a guard. We head to the shaft, signal to Duv, and head to the maintenance crawlspace. Duv will use the Dark Angel’s stealth capabilities to snug up next to the hull while Chang sets up an emergency soft seal and cuts us an escape hatch. We use the exposure suits in my ruck to transit the hull, and then we all get the hell out of there safe and sound…or at least that’s how I’m hoping the plan will work. And just in case something gets FUBARed, we have Tiny’s Plan B and the crate of discontent over there.”

Reilly nodded at a green crate stashed in among the other standard Tether gear on board the hovering ship. Tiny had insisted on bringing along the ledgers and a bunch of extra explosives. Reilly was doubtful about bringing the ledgers, but Tiny argued that they may be useful. She refused to elaborate more than that, so Reilly bit her lip and went along with it. Besides, they had already scanned all of them into HAILE for analysis, so the hard copies were no longer needed. Why Crazy Ray would want a bunch of books or why Tiny would think he would was beyond her. But for some reason, she decided to trust the Gaiden on this one.

While she spoke, Chang placed a set of handcuffs and leg manacles on the Captain, then attached them with chains behind her back, allowing her only the ability to slowly shuffle. He checked them and then stepped away with a satisfied nod. They expected the ship would be scanned several times as they approached, so everything had to look like it should, right down to the captive chained down to the floor. Reilly tugged on the manacles and then began taking baby steps towards the ship, but Tiny stopped her.

“With all due respect, ma’am, you look too good to have been captured by Tethers. They don’t normally allow you into bracelets without getting scraped up a bit first. And Alton would expect that Captain Campbell would put up a hell of a fight. With your permission?”

Tiny had a point. Tethers were known for their brutal takedowns of captives. A set of dirty clothes but no blood or bruises would certainly raise flags with a man like Crazy Ray. She glanced at Chang, who nodded encouragingly, and Marek, who looked nervous.

“If you must…” But before she could say another word, the Gaiden had hit her five times in rapid succession.

“Dammit, Tiny!” Reilly yelled, blood streaming from her mouth and nose. “You could’ve warned me first!”

Tiny smiled serenely as Reilly’s bloodied nose and split lip trickled down her shirt and the front of her pants and she turned her head to wipe her face slowly on her shoulder.

“You would’ve just tensed up then. This was faster and I hope less painful, since you were relaxed and unprepared for the first few. That eye is starting to bruise up nicely!” the Gaiden noted cheerfully as she took Reilly by the arm and led her onto the ship. She paused a moment at the threshold, then pulled a knife and quickly sliced Reilly’s arm, mimicking the tear lines from the Enforcer. Reilly cursed as the blood ran down her arm, but the knife was so sharp she had barely felt a thing. The cuts appeared to be deeper than they actually were. Tiny knew what she was doing. Reilly was a bloody mess. She looked exactly like someone who had just been captured by Tethers.

“Can you loosen this cuff just one minute?” Reilly looked back at Chang. Even though she knew it was necessary to her disguise, she was still hoping to get in at least one good shot before she had to play the role of captive.

“No time, we’ve got to go!” Tiny noted merrily as she pushed Reilly onto the floor and looped her cuffs into the restraining bolts, then pulled them tight.

Chang hid a smile as Reilly rolled her eyes at him, looking up from the floor of the ship.

“I think Tiny’s enjoying this a bit too much,” Reilly noted wryly.

“It’s good for you. Humble leaders are good leaders—keeps them from getting big heads!” Chang chuckled and then sobered. “Give them hell, Captain. I’ll see you on the other side.” He shot her a salute as she pulled herself up against the chains defiantly.

“Gunny, they don’t know the definition of hell yet. But they will. Good hunting!”

“And you, Captain.” Chang watched as Tiny closed up the doors while Marek took his seat next to her, watching over Reilly and manning the guns.

—————

Ty felt the needle get jerked out of his arm as the ship set down. The bounty hunters were right, the fluids had helped, but the sedatives had made him groggy and incoherent. One of the Tethers ripped the tape off of his eyes, and he was blinded as the back doors to the ship opened to the space station’s docking bay. The sounds from the machinery hammered at his ears. His vision was hazy around the edges, and his eyes wouldn’t focus as he lay tight against the floor. He tried to pick up his head to look around, but dizziness forced him to the ground again.

A dark moving shape hovered towards him, followed by several other dark shapes. It kept moving towards him until it blocked most of the doorway. Ty looked up, trying to determine what it was and if it was a threat. One of the Tethers loosened the restraining bolts and half hauled him to his feet. The sudden motion jarred his fractured skull and he began to pass out, while a second bounty hunter frantically tried to bring him around again with a few slaps.

Crazy Ray pushed the man aside and grabbed Ty’s face, pulling it close to his own. He looked at him, hoping for some type of recognition, that realization that his own death was imminent, but it was hopeless. With a snarl, he pushed Ty’s head back and grabbed the bounty hunter he had shoved.

“I thought I had made it clear that he was to be kept in good condition!” Crazy Ray’s voice was very polite, eerily polite, as the bounty hunter stared back at him. “He doesn’t even recognize me, and if he can’t recognize me, how can he know to be frightened? That’s half the fun! You know, the part where they see you and know that they are going to die a long, painful death. So which one of you did it?”

The older Tether was still holding Ty up by the back of his harness. He nodded in the direction of his apprentice. “It’s the young one’s fault. He is overenthusiastic in his control techniques, and this is the first one he has had to return alive. I made it very clear to him the requirements of the job. He will pay for the healing process out of his half of the bounty. Will this meet your terms?” The man continued to keep Ty between himself and Crazy Ray. He had worked for the arms dealer before and knew how volatile he could get. As long as he had what Crazy Ray wanted in between them, he would be safe from any sudden volleys of gunfire.

Crazy Ray’s head was already starting to tilt precariously as he eyed the younger bounty hunter. “He will pay for the healers out of his half of the bounty. Good. But what about my time? You see, this is my birthday present, and now instead of getting it on my birthday I have to wait. I have to wait an entire day. So it won’t be my birthday anymore.” Crazy Ray leaned in towards the man. “I don’t suppose you thought to bring me another gift? A gift I could have today?”

The young bounty hunter looked to his mentor briefly, but the man refused to make eye contact with him. It was obvious that this arms dealer was a bit insane, and with insane people it was always hard to determine what to do. He thought about shooting the man or knifing him, but that would be bad for future business, and besides, it was unlikely they would make it off the station alive if he did that. Then he remembered the large bowie knife he had recovered. It had belonged to their captive, and he had cleaned it up so it looked almost new. He quickly turned and recovered it from his pack, then presented it to Crazy Ray with a slight smile.