Chapter 7
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The nav officer came over the comm as a rumble could be felt throughout the ore ship. “Captain! Ships are attacking our escort! Ion beams are firing from multiple directions!”
The captain turned and ran toward the bridge.
I headed for the Daunte. “Joni! We are under some type of attack! Stay put in that hold until I tell you to do otherwise. If I can find a way out, I'll call you.”
“What am I supposed to do in here?”
I turned and jumped up the ramp-way in three steps. “Hide. If this is a kidnapping attempt, they'll be looking for you. I’ll scrub the Daunte’s systems for evidence of you being aboard.”
I pulled up the nav screens and tapped into the ore ship’s video feeds. Nine small but obviously powerful ships were circling the destroyer as they fired. Her engines had been crippled, and with each heavy ion bolt, a new weapons pod was taken offline. The destroyer was in trouble, and the fate of the Jasmire was quickly falling from our control.
I said, “Captain, can you get this ship moving?”
The absence of a response was telling.
I opened a secure channel to SS5 command. “This is the Daunte; we are on inspection of the Jasmire. The escort destroyer accompanying us is under attack, and I believe the Jasmire’s bridge has been compromised. The situation is critical. I repeat—”
I was startled by a deep and vicious growl coming from Raptor. As I slowly turned around, two Igari in black uniforms with their faces covered were standing at the bottom of the ramp-way with their weapons raised.
“Silence your animal or I will kill it. And you come down out of there.”
I slowly stood and raised my hands. I placed a restraining leash on Raptor and stepped down onto the deck of the docking bay.
“Are there any other passengers on that vessel?”
“Just me and the dog. I was here to do a manifest inspection. What is this about? What’s going on?”
The Igari waved his blaster. “We don’t have any beef with Gruntas, but you might want to find a new employer.”
The second Igari said, “This ore vessel is now under the control of the Free Alliance. Its contents are being confiscated as contraband of the illegal New Alliance. We do not recognize the corrupt Human rule. If you cooperate, when this vessel is secure, you will be released.”
I lowered my hands. “I will cooperate.”
The first Igari pointed to my waist. “Raise your hands. Konus, remove his blaster.”
I again lifted my hands as the weapon was removed.
“Now, you can get back on your ship. That gravity wall is locked. If you try to leave or disrupt our operation in any way, we won’t hesitate to kill you.”
I lowered my arms and nodded. “I won’t be any trouble.”
I climbed back aboard the Daunte and sat in the pilot’s chair. The holo-display showed a flashing symbol where our comm channels were being blocked. I had no way of contacting Joni to let her know what was going on.
I looked back at Raptor as he sat on the deck behind me. “Well, boy, what would you suggest?”
The Rottweiler tilted his head slightly to the side and began to drool.
“Got nothing? Yeah, me neither.”
There was soon commotion on the deck surrounding the Daunte. I brought up the external cams to a scene of Igari rebel soldiers herding Human crewmen from the destroyer into the docking bay of the Jasmire. After the last of the remaining 128 crewmen had been pushed into a corner and made to sit down, the Jasmire began to move. Several minutes later, the destroyer’s beacon went silent on my nav screen.
I stood and walked slowly down the ramp-way of the Daunte. A guard was standing on the deck nearby.
The guard said, “What business do you have down here?”
“I was just curious about the crewmen. What fate will befall them?”
The Igari took a step closer. “It is an unfortunate life coming for them. They will be sold in the slave markets on Arkana VII. I would advise you to return to your ship, or the same fate may befall you.”
I had heard stories about slavery in the outer sectors. It was a practice that had long been outlawed in the AMP, but the New Alliance came with areas of lawlessness that the families deemed acceptable so long as the small criminal empires that had sprung up remained out of their business. History told of it being a shortsighted move on the part of the New Alliance rulers, as from these neglected and forgotten territories, rebellion would often arise.
“Arkana is in the Theta sector. That's the Karacken family. I'm surprised they would allow a force such as yours to raid into neighboring sectors.”
The Igari looked at the Daunte and replied, “Perhaps those living in their shining towers in the Alpha sector should come down and talk to the people.”
I was struck by the fact that each of the Igari I had talked with, if for only a brief moment, was educated and well spoken. They were not the usual thugs one would expect to be involved in pirate activity. I began to think the Igari were well organized, far beyond that of a small rebellious force. They were taking cesium ore, the lifeblood of existence in the New Alliance.
The soldier said, “I would advise that you return to your ship. Your release may be coming at any moment, and if so, you will be asked to leave immediately.”
As I slowly climbed the steps back up into the Daunte, my mind was racing. Less than a hundred meters from my position, Joni Salton was trapped in a radioactive cargo hold. After sitting in my chair, I was startled by a growl from Raptor. A guard was standing at the bottom of the stairs.
The guard gestured. “Close this ramp-way, and the nav officer will have you on your way. Keep in mind, our issues are only with the corrupt and unjust Human ruling families. We will treat all others in a fair and just manner. We'll be passing near a rogue moon. You will take this ship to her surface and wait for two days before departing for the Alpha sector.”
I nodded as I pressed the close button. The ramp lifted. Word from the nav officer soon came, and the Daunte was hovering as I moved her across the deck and through the gravity wall into free space.
The Igari seemed to have no issue with my leaving. I suspected their desire was for me to carry the information of the raid back for the authorities to see and hear. No better account could be had than from the logs of the Daunte and from an eyewitness.
I landed on the rogue moon to wait out the two-day period. The Jasmire, with Joni Salton still aboard, soon disappeared from my nav screen. My heart sank as I feared for her life.
It had been six hours since the Jasmire left my view. I was in a situation I was not prepared for. If I left for SS5, I would likely be arrested, interrogated, and perhaps imprisoned for having left Jonias Salton on the Jasmire without putting up a fight.
I was still not in contact with the station, as the Igari had placed a comm obstructor on the moon’s surface beside the Daunte. I would be waiting for the comm jamming to end before heading back to the station.
As I sat with my arms crossed, looking down at Raptor, a proximity alert went off on my holo-display. A small, sleek black ship was setting down beside me. Under a minute passed before a being in a jet-black space suit was standing in front of the Daunte’s viewports, waving its arms.
I dropped the ramp-way, and the being proceeded up the steps and through the gravity wall. I reached to restrain Raptor, but the Rottweiler seemed to be excited instead of showing his usual anger.
When the ramp-way had closed, the being removed their helmet. It was a young Human male.
“Mr. Beutcher, I'm with the security force assigned to Jonias Salton. Please tell me she is sleeping in her quarters.”
I sighed. “She's on the Jasmire. I couldn't get her out without a fight. She's in hiding, but she can't remain there for long.”
“I was afraid of this. What are you doing here on this moon?”
I sat back in my chair. “I was directed to wait here for
two days, until that jammer ceased to function. I was then to go back to SS5 and tell them what happened. The Igari who hijacked that ship, they don’t know Joni is aboard.”
The man held out his gloved hand. “My name is Garrett Rourke, Mr. Beutcher. Together, we're going to figure out how to get her off that ship.”
“I am stuck here, Mr. Rourke. I was instructed to not leave, or the Human crewmen they had captured would be executed. They thought I might need a little incentive to stay after they left.”
I looked down at Raptor, who continued to wiggle his short tail. “I would guess since this dog knows you, Joni knows you as well?”
Garrett Rourke shook his head. “No, sir. We've actually never met. I'm her first-line shadow detail. I'm not to interfere in her life in any way unless a security concern dictates that I do. I trained Raptor as a pup before her father offered him as a birthday gift. He comes from a long line of purebred champions that leads all the way back to Earth, the Humans’ first colony. Rotties are, and have been, a big part of our family for two thousand years.”
I nodded as I reached down to scratch his head. “A champion, huh. He has been a well-mannered dog. So, how do we get Joni back, Mr. Rourke? I can’t move this ship.”
The Human looked around the cabin. “If you have a storage container large enough, we can take Raptor to my ship. You'll come as well, and the three of us will then catch up to the Jasmire. How do we get her back? We’ll have to figure that out on the way. Put on your suit, Mr. Beutcher; time is of the essence. Oh, and call me Garrett. My father is Mr. Rourke.”
After emptying a container and placing a confused Raptor within it, we sealed the box. With a two-minute trek down the ramp-way and up into Garrett’s ship, we were ready to lift off in pursuit. The Daunte was placed into sleep mode as I pecked away at the holo-controls that floated just above my arm pad. As we lifted off, I felt a strong pulling sensation.
“What was that?”
Garrett smiled. “I like the sensation of motion. I have the inertial dampeners set to leave a fraction of a percent of natural inertia. I find it helpful when maneuvering through tight places to have a feel for what I'm doing.”
“Hmm. I’ve never considered doing such.”
Garrett pulled the stick hard left, and the ship spun up on its side as it arced toward a new direction. “The gravity compensates as well to always give you a feeling of down. I used the technique in target practice, earning me the highest rating they had given in centuries during my training. I believe it was what landed me the shadow job. You're the first person I've divulged that little secret to.”
“Your secret is safe with me. I do need to ask a question, though. Why did you bring me? You could have pursued that ship on your own. And why did you wait as long as you did before you revealed yourself?”
Garrett pulled up a screen on his holo-display. “The sensors on this ship are the best known to us. I had to wait until the Jasmire was out of range because I don’t know if they have sensors that are equally as powerful. I couldn’t risk broadcasting to you either, as that would have been another possible detection point.”
Garrett continued, “I brought you along because she knows and trusts you. She doesn’t know me. And, because you've been on that ship. I also believe you to be in the same predicament as I am. If we don’t get her back, there will be repercussions, career-ending repercussions, and possibly imprisonment or worse. It's in both of our best interests to bring her back.”
I nodded. “If those ships remain on the same course, how are we to catch them without being detected?”
Garrett pulled up a new display. “This ship is made to shadow others without giving away that it’s there. I couldn’t make contact with you without breaking the integrity of my stealth abilities. With no outward broadcasts, I can take this ship within their confines without being seen.”
I replied, “Can you land us on that ore hauler?”
Garrett nodded. “I can. Are you considering making an entry from an external hatch? You do realize they will be monitoring those, don’t you? Any hatch opening will have their full attention.”
I was quiet for a moment as I pulled the structural diagram of the Jasmire up on my arm pad holo-display. “There is one hatch that won't trigger an alert. The bilge port. Smugglers like to use it for that very reason. The bilge is automated to purge when it becomes full or when the gases within become volatile. The port can also be opened from the outside during routine maintenance while in space dock. It's actually a big joke in the inspection service because every few years someone attempts to use it to smuggle goods off or onto a ship. It’s watched closely while in port.”
Garrett said, “So, how do we exploit it?”
“Even if you could park us on the hull beside it, I don’t have the passcode required to make use of the external access point. So your guess is as good as mine.”
Garrett smiled. “Let’s see, Jasmire, bilge port access. Here, A56JK794B.”
“How do you know that?”
Garrett pulled up an image of the Jasmire. “This is a Motlin Corporation ship. I have all the codes.”
I smiled. “You get me to that port, and I can get inside. There's a maintenance and internal disposal hatch that uses the same code. Get me on that boat and I will bring her out.”
Garrett pulled up his nav display. “If they maintained course, we should be able to overtake them in about three hours.”
As we continued on our way, I took the opportunity to look around the shadow ship. “What’s her name?”
Garrett replied, “The Jess. When I took this job, I was given this ship right off the construction dock. There are only five ships like her. The Saltons spared no expense on her equipment. She is fast, and very agile when in an atmosphere. Her twin ion cannons pack a decent punch. She's silent and she has no transponder. I also have the passcodes necessary to command portal jumps without going through the normal process.”
“Can you jump us to the point where we expect the Jasmire to be?”
Garrett shook his head. “I’m afraid not. We have to be in communication with a portal for that to happen. Our last connection was where we jumped to. The generator maintains a microportal at that jump location until a signal is received to return or the ship that jumped leaves. When I left to go to that moon, the portal closed. I can't open another until I'm within comm proximity of a portal complex.”
“Interesting.”
“Haven’t you ever wondered how you remained in contact with the station while in the far reaches of the sector?”
I returned a blank look. “I'm knowledgeable about comm channels and equipment, but that thought never entered my mind. I just assumed we had comm. In the forty years I have been doing inspections, I never had cause to move my ship more than a short distance from the jump point.”
Garrett replied, “Well, with most of those years in the AMP, you probably had no cause to do so. The activity we saw today, this is new, and there is likely to be a lot more of it. The forces that oppose the families are growing, and most families are doing nothing to stop it.”
“I've seen the beginnings of that on SS5.”
“The old system worked well for everyone. I hate to say it, but even the Saltons are struggling to keep order. They aren’t unreasonable, but they're making big mistakes with their people. Their actions smack of greed and corruption, which are two of the main ingredients needed for an uprising. There are plenty of Humans that don’t care for them either.”
I stood to stretch my legs. “That's an interesting viewpoint coming from someone who works directly for the family.”
Garrett nodded. “Don’t get me wrong, I like the paycheck. The Saltons treat their security forces with respect. If you move beyond the Saltons, though, there are any number of wealthy industrialists who require security details. With all the unrest, my services are in demand.”
Our discussions continued as we closed on the Jasmire. I found Garrett to be a solid individual wi
th high standards and a tireless work ethic. I also picked up on a hint of a fondness for his detail subject.
He had listened to and observed her for the seven years since he was given the position. During that time, Joni had transitioned from being a young teen into a well-rounded, intelligent, and beautiful woman. She could easily be the desire of most any Human male.
Our general discussions ended as the Jasmire came into view on the optical sensors.
Garrett said, “We are in luck. Only one of those small Igari ships remains with her. I can swing in behind the ship and come up through her ion wake. That will easily mask what little signature we may have. Suit up, Mr. Beutcher. I’ll be setting us down next to that bilge port in about two minutes.”
I stood and turned to face Raptor. He was lying just under the back of my chair with a sad look on his face. “Give us a few minutes. We'll have her back.”
I reached down to offer the customary head scratch and then moved on to putting on my helmet and checking my suit for seal.
I turned back to face Garrett. “How'd you come up with the name Jess?”
Garrett replied, “I began with J. S., and I would guess you could figure how that turned into Jess. It’s not that I am infatuated with Miss Salton or anything. I just—”
I held up my hand. “No explanation necessary. Let’s focus our thoughts on getting her off the Jasmire and onto the Jess. Oh, and I need a blaster, if you have a spare. The Igari took mine.”