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Atom woke with a gasp. He lay on a thin mattress in a narrow cell with a dim light glowing over his head. Venturing a furtive glance around the cell, Atom took in his surroundings and then closed his eyes and feigned sleep. For a time he remained motionless and allowed his other senses to paint a picture of his surroundings.
“Are you done?” Kozue asked in his ear. “You know I could tell you everything you are trying to figure out right now.”
“Maybe,” Atom whispered. “But I still like to get my own feel for things.”
“You are....”
“I’m on a ship,” Atom cut her off. “Orbiting, I’d say by the engine song.”
“Correct.”
“I’m on an M-class troop transport, lower decks, near the core, and below the galley. From the smell I’d say they have a castoff cook from a naval vessel.”
“What about....”
“Don’t interrupt me,” he snapped. “My educated guess would be that we’re on Tull’s ship. Question is, how’d I get here and what happened to....”
“Margo?”
“Yeah,” Atom jerked up and looked around his cell. “Where is she?”
“Why don’t you use your keen sense of smell to figure that out for yourself,” Kozue sounded miffed. “Let me know when you figure it out, and I’ll tell you if you’re close.”
“Koze, I didn’t mean to upset you.”
Silence.
“Kozue, you can hear me, right? Connections haven’t been severed?” Atom tapped at the bone beneath his ear and shook his head. “I know you can hear me.
“Cut it out,” he growled to hide his unease.
The silence continued. Atom grunted himself up from his thin mattress and stalked the short length of his cell. With trained eyes he scrutinized every inch of the cell. No weaknesses jumped out to him.
“You pick a hell of a time to pitch a fit. When I get out of here, I might just reset your frame,” he fumed as he covered the few steps to the solid cell door and peered out the small, grated window.
Atom squinted into the harsh yellow light of the narrow hallway and found half a dozen identical cell doors.
“Anyone there?” he called out in a hoarse whisper.
A set of heavy footsteps echoed down the confines of the metal hallway and a misshapen face thrust into Atom’s line of sight. The woman’s rancid breath washed through the window and over Atom. He flinched back from the window and the woman barked out a course laugh.
“No talkin’,” the woman sneered.
Atom studied her face through the grate. She had the nose of a pugilist and the dead look in her eyes telling of a life lived one bout at a time.
“What say you to opening the door and making me stop?” Atom flashed a grin.
The woman narrowed her squinty eyes further.
“There’ll be time fer that later, Sticks,” the woman punched the door and thumped away, muttering to herself.
“Nice to hear your voice,” Shi whispered from across the narrow hall. Atom pressed his face to the window and breathed a sigh of relief when Daisy leaned down to peer from the next cell over.
Atom strained to see the jailkeep, but could not locate her. “Where’s Go and Hither?”
Shi dropped her eyes.
“A lot’s happened since we hit that breaker.”
“Really?” Atom paused and wracked his brain to piece together the lost time. “Last I remember I was hanging from the bottom of that miner and making peace with my maker.”
“That was four days ago, Atom.”
“What?” Atom’s voice rose in alarm.
“Thought I told you bokes to shut yer yaps,” the guard stormed back down the hallway. Her speed caught Atom off guard, and he stumbled as she threw open the door. In one fluid motion her foot slammed squarely into his chest.
Atom rebounded off the far wall, but bounced up in a fighting stance.
The jailkeep grinned as she threw a heavy punch at Atom’s face.
Deflecting the blow did little to save Atom as the woman’s fist slammed into his shoulder. Too late he understood the diverting nature of the punch. A powerful kick followed on the tail of the woman’s first attack, crumpling his leg as she drove through the meaty part of his thigh.
“Shouldn’t do no lasting damage,” she spat on the floor beside Atom. “Talk agin and I ain’t responsible fer what I do.”
Atom closed his eyes to the pain even as the door to his cell slammed shut. He lay in self-imposed darkness, fighting to control his body. Several calming breaths pulled his focus in line.
Steadying himself, he sat up. The woman spoke true, the blow inflicted maximum pressure to the thigh without any collateral damage. He sat and massaged the knotted muscle and tried to return feeling to his leg. As the throbbing pain subsided, Atom pulled himself up on his meager bed.
Taking a steadying breath he made his way back to the door
“Four days?” he whispered.
Shi nodded.
“So how’d I get here?”
“Hither turned on us,” Shi whispered, but Atom heard wrath seething just beneath the surface. “Daisy caught you when you let go. I thought you were gone, but he skimmed the bubble perfect and snatched you before you hit the void. You were beat to hell, lost too much blood, but Hither says she can save you. Next I know she’s slipping a mask over her face and I wake up in here.”
“Here?” Atom pressed his face to the grate to study the hall.
“Tull’s flag. Hither came down to say she’s sorry,” Shi frowned. “Said she’s got Go and this was the only way to save you. I call bull. She’s been working both sides the whole time.”
“But Go’s safe,” a small, relieved smile creased Atom’s face as he turned and slid down to sit against the door.
“Keep,” Atom yelled at the top of his lungs.
Footsteps thundered down the hall once again. Before the keep could yell he rose to the window.
“I want to talk to Tull,” he said in a civil tone.
The woman stood tensed before the door, her eyes narrowed. Atom could see the barely contained desire to rip the door open and put him back to sleep.
“I would assume that he asked to be notified when I woke up.”
The woman rolled her shoulders. “That he did, Sticks. I’ll send the note. Meantime, you shush up. Chance be you won’t like what he has in the pot fer you.”
“I’ll take it as may be,” Atom nodded his thanks and returned to his cot.
He lay down and began to mull the situation. Hither had seen Tull as the only option for saving him, but why into the belly of the beast? Kozue had said the fighter-bomber had a med station to stabilize. They could have popped a stasis patch on his gut and burned for the planet.
But that would have put them back, would have left Byron in Tull’s hands a little longer.
Would Hither really play both sides?
That question rolled in Atom’s head, driving back and forth as he fought with the thought of an old friend tossing him aside for her own survival.
He had taught her to survive. The emperor’s concubines were lovers and bodyguards wrapped into one seductively deadly force of nature. Atom had trained a number of them, including Hither, and he knew that second to survival of the emperor their training taught them to survive at any cost. The needless death of a concubine meant one less warrior to protect the emperor.
But she had left that life behind.
Atom knew that training might fade, but it never truly disappeared.
Did she see this as her only chance for survival? Was Tull a means to an end?
That made no sense to Atom. Maybe Hither knew....
The cell door slammed open, and Tull swept into the narrow confines of the room like a jaunty cavalier. He stood in silence, measuring Atom.
Atom returned the stare, but not the smile. He took stock and noted the pistol resting loosely at Tull’s hip. Tull followed the brief glance, and his smile grew wider. He flipped his long golden curls and laughed as he patted the piece.
“She’s a beauty, ain’t she?” he extended a hand. “I believe we got off on the wrong foot back on that rock. Name’s Erasmus Tull, captain of the Tyridium Lancers.
“Don’t be cooking ideas in that pretty little pan of yours,” the smile never wavered. “I know you’re probably calculating how to kill me mighty quick, but it won’t be with my gun.”
“DNA tag?” Atom slapped the hand in a civil fashion.
“You know your weapons,” Tull stepped back and affected a casual air as he leaned against the wall and continued to measure Atom.
“Trade,” Atom gave the simple answer.
“You a merc too?”
“Just a simple merc who’s had his share of run-ins with bandits and mercs. Had to defend what’s mine more than a few times.”
“That so?”
“Close enough,” Atom shrugged.
“Well, I didn’t appreciate your antics back on that rock,” Tull glanced to the door where a pair of hard looking mercs flanked the jailer. “You cost me more than a few troopers and regardless of your walk, I’m going to have to settle that score with you.”
“Seems you started that one on your own,” Atom pulled back to sit cross-legged on the narrow bunk. “If I rightly recall, you blew out one of my engines.”
“You crossed a legal embargo line to land on that rock.”
“Nothing legal about that,” Atom folded his hands with disarming calm. “No imperial writ posted. I checked.”
“More local than that. I’ve a governor’s writ.”
“Guv’s don’t have that authority.”
“Seems you know more about political workings than you let on.”
“I’ve sailed from one end of this verse to the other. Fought a few wars. Traded on more planets than I care to recall. I’ve run with every class and had to know my way through all their tricks and traps.
“You should know, in my line of work it pays to know how the law works.”
“Any way about it,” Tull snapped, the smile never fading. “I was hired to keep folks off that rock until the miner’s strike works itself out.”
“Can’t say I know exactly what you’re talking of there. I was told I could make a tidy profit on beef if I ran them out here.”
“Beef?”
“Stasis sides of beef,” Atom nodded in earnest. “When you gave chase I was dropping in a herd of fresh for slaughter, prime protein.”
“That’s it?”
“Check my log.”
“What’s your connection to Hither?”
“Knew her in another life, back toward the Palm. We grew up together. Fact is, I always told that girl she’d be better off getting out of the faves and setting up out here in the Fingers.
“Surprised me she took up my advice.”
“Any way about it, you owe me,” Tull dropped his smile and leaned forward, the threat and brashness from the planet resurfaced. “You can either give me your ship and its cargo or I’ll take your two crew. That’ll make three of yours I have. They’ll make up for what you took from me. I’ll either press them or make them take a short walk in the void.”
“Those are my only options?” Atom asked nonplussed.
Tull fell silent and swept from the room, but stopped at the door.
“You have two watches to let me know what you plan on doing,” he spoke without looking back. “If you haven’t made a decision by then, I’ll take both, and you can join your crew on that walk.”
With those words the door slammed. Atom sat in silence, ignoring the leering face of the jailer as she peered through the window.
“He’s got you by the curlies, don’t he?” she punched the door and thumped away.
Atom stared at the wall opposite his bunk and scowled in thought. He folded in on himself as he formulated plans and discarded them in rapid succession. He knew that Daisy and Shi stood like silent specters at their doors waiting for something to happen.
Just when he held the perfect plan in the grey mists of his mind like a delicate newborn, a familiar voice cut through and shattered his thought train.
His head snapped up.
“Da,” a simple word destroyed all thoughts and left a primal sense of relief behind.
In a blur Atom leaped from the bed and pressed his face to the door.
“You know I ain’t got no authorization fer this,” the jailkeep’s agitated voice rose in consternation.
As he tried in vain to see down the hallway, Atom could hear Hither’s soothing murmur in response. He could not hear her exact words, but he knew the tone, peaceful authority.
“Dada,” Margo yelled out and Atom caught sight of her as she wandered down the hallway, looking up at each of the doors in turn.
“Go,” Atom called back, his fingers pulling at the grate.
A smile lit Margo’s face. With childish enthusiasm she began to hop down the hall, chanting dada with each little bounce.
“Now listen ‘ere,” the jailer ran down the hall after Margo “I told you there’d be no talking. I can’t have you go breaking the rules, little miss.” She planted herself in front of Margo, barring the way.
Astonished, Margo came to a halt and stared up at the woman.
“Move pease,” she said in her childish way and pushed past the jailkeep.
“Da,” she cried out as she planted herself stolidly before her father’s door with her tiny fists planted on her hips. “Out now.”
Atom watched in fury as the jailkeep pivoted herself and stalked toward his helpless daughter. He smiled down at Margo, even as he seethed inside at his inability to hold and protect her.
“Little miss,” the woman slowed her thundering steps. “I’m going to ‘ave to go back with Hither. I can’t have you....”
The woman’s eyes rolled back in her head and for a moment Atom feared she would collapse and crush Margo. Like a timbered tree she pitched forward and fell with a thudding jar that Atom felt through the metal decking. She gave a shuddering breath and lay still.
Margo, with a surprised look plastered across her face, cocked her head to look at the woman.
She squatted beside the woman. “Dead?” she asked in innocence.
“No, dear,” unphazed, Hither stepped around the woman and slipped to Atom’s door with sultry confidence. “She’s just sleeping. It will be several hours and some blurred memories, but she should wake in one piece.”
“You good for nothin’ piece of scut,” Shi screamed from her cell. “You know the hell you tossed us in to save your flouncin’ diddies?”
“Quiet down, before you draw attention,” Hither stepped up behind Margo and flashed a sweet smile at Atom. “We need to move quickly. I can explain things later, but know this. I saw a rough plan and punched the gap. I did like you taught me.”
Atom’s eyes narrowed, but he nodded as he attempted to process the situation without having all the information.
Hither patted down the guard, and after retrieving the keycard, opened Atom’s cell. As soon as the door cracked, Margo swept into the room and into Atom’s arms. With a gruff scowl he held her close to his chest. Margo nuzzled into his neck, and Atom rose to his feet, nodding a silent thanks to Hither as he did.
“Get the others,” his voice sounded thick as he stepped from the cell. Setting Margo down, he surveyed the detention center with a swift glance.
Hither turned and keyed open Shi’s door.
The first blow caught Hither off guard and sent her reeling back into Atom’s cell. Shi followed up, but Hither met her in the doorway. A lightning flurry of blows flew back and forth before Hither spun Shi off balance and grabbed her roughly by the front of her poncho.
Atom caught the cocked fist before any real damage resulted. He snapped her arm down and grabbed each woman by the scruff of the neck in a vice-like grip.
“Stop,” he hissed in an icy tone. “Once we’re out of danger, you can fight to your heart’s content, but we don’t have time for this right now. If you can’t put your feelings aside, I might be tempted to take Tull up on his offer.”
Both women froze, their arms curling like kitten’s paws.
Atom pulled them close. “Can we put this aside?”
“Yeah,” they squeaked in unison.
“Then get Daisy out and Shi, get that lunk of meat in here so she’s out of sight. Gag her too,” with a gentle shove he separated the women and returned to the hallway.
With silent, baleful glances they moved to follow Atom’s orders. Meanwhile, Atom scooped up Margo and clipped her to his back. He adjusted the straps as he made his way to the jailkeep’s nook.
As he approached the door his hand drifted to his hip.
“Where are my weapons?” he asked as Hither joined him at the small, bare desk.
“Armory.”
“Any chance we can get them back?”
“I’m going to say we’ll have a tough enough time getting off this ship without getting tagged.”
“So you’ve got a plan?”
“Yeah, grab Byron, grab a ship, and get the hell off this rig.”
“Is that do-able?” Atom searched the nook for anything useful.
“If they don’t find out you guys have made a break.”
Daisy and Shi joined them, crowding the narrow hallway.
“I’ve got half a plan of my own,” Atom turned to the others. “It kind of hinges on Kozue, though.”
“She ain’t chattin’ you?” Shi asked.
“She’s miffed.”
“What did you do?” Hither asked.
Atom scratched at his neck like a sheepish schoolboy. Behind them Daisy squeezed by and made his way to the outer hatch of the detention block.
“I told her to be quiet,” Atom’s half-hearted grin told the story.
“And she actually listened?” Hither laughed
“Evidently. But I’ve got a thought and a little bug-byte that might help us slip out.”
“Ya’ll are yapping, but where’s By?” Daisy asked from the hatch. “He’s not in the cells with us.”
As one they turned and looked to Hither.
“He’s being held in a storage room down below engineering. Somehow Tull figured out he had some mech sector, and has been trying to convince him to join the crew. Good or bad, that kit’s got some loyalty to you, Atom.”
Atom pulled his shaggy curls back from his eyes as he allowed his plan to evolve.
“We need to split up,” he nodded with reluctance. “I hate doing this, but I don’t see a way we accomplish what we need to do in the time we have.”
“Is that smart? Split path means greater chance we are discovered,” said Hither. “Shouldn’t we just snatch By and be gone?”
“They’d be on us before we broke perimeter on their fleet.”
“He’s right,” Daisy rejoined the group. “Scanner picked up sixteen picket ships on the fringe and that doesn’t count the thirteen frigates and corvettes guarding this carrier.”
“And those numbers don’t count the actual blockade,” Atom shook his head. “This guy’s bigger fish than I’d thought. I’d say the real question is, what a merc company this big is doing this far down the Fingers?
“But that’s a question for another time and place. For now, we need to split up, and I need Kozue to be on board with this,” he paused, looking past the others, as if expecting Kozue to appear. “Can I count on you for this? I’m sorry for being short with you when I woke up.”
The others exchanged a nervous look, but understood Atom’s speech to air.
“I guess,” Kozue pouted.
Atom sighed with relief and wiped weariness away from his face. “Okay,” then he bobbed a nod to each of his crew.
“Hither, they know you on this ship,” he unslung Margo as he talked. “I’m guessing you have some access areas we wouldn’t be allowed in.”
“More or less,” she took Margo as Atom spun her from his back. She shifted the girl to her hip without a thought and continued talking. “They won’t let me up on the bridge or down to engineering, but they don’t seem to mind my wandering anywhere else.”
“Good, take Go, and get our weapons from the armory.”
“Tall order.”
“Use your pan and find a way.”
Hither bounced Margo and made a face to draw a smile from the girl. “I know you might not trust my actions,” she turned her eyes to Shi, but her words encompassed the group. “But it was the only way I knew to save Atom’s life without putting us in more danger the second time around. Plus, it got him on this ship without a free jump.”
“Fair,” Shi crossed her arms, but listened. “I weren’t countin’ on bein’ here neither, but if there’s a fight to be had, you know you can count me in.”
“And it did save his life,” Daisy arched his eyebrows.
“Truth.”
“Do you understand, Atom?” Hither fixed him with a hopeful gaze.
“I’m wrapping my head around it, but I think I finally see your course,” he gave her a reassuring smile and squeezed her shoulder. “Now get those weapons. I’m sure it will be a step towards mending with Daisy and Shi.”
“I’ll see what I can do,” she winked and disappeared through the outer hatch.
“You two,” he turned his attention to Shi and Daisy. “I need you to find a ship. Plan as a heist, you find a ship you know we can get away in. Neutralize any guards, but do it quiet like. Then have Kozue set a beacon so Hither and I can come to you.”
“We going to have to hack it again?” Daisy asked.
“I hope not. I would guess they won’t lock down their ships aboard their carrier, but I could be wrong.”
“We’ll let you know what we find,” Daisy slapped Shi lightly on the arm and headed for the door.
“Glad you’re in a piece,” Shi flashed a lopsided grin and followed.
Atom watched them pause at the door to scan the hallway before they ducked out.
“If anyone’s going to get us caught, it’s those two,” he shook his head and turned to examine the sparse desk of the jailkeep. “Good thing we had the holding cells to ourselves.”
“That isn’t completely accurate,” Kozue said. “There is a male confined at the far end of the block, cell to the left.”
“You ain’t lone, pard,” a graveled voice called out from the end of the hallway.
Atom turned to the voice, narrowing his eyes as he left the desk behind. Scowling, he tried to picture the face that matched the voice. For a moment he toyed with the idea of walking away without responding, but experience frowned on that course of action.
“So, I’m not alone,” an easy chuckle relaxed Atom’s jaw. “That’s probably a good thing, now I’m not just talking to myself like a crazed.”
“Name’s Kalhoon,” a spread of fingers poked through the grate and wiggled a hello. “I’m guessing you’re the one they call Atom. Don’t like to be named a dropper of eaves, but it gets a might lonesome in a place like this.”
“Atom it is, Kalhoon,” Atom marched the hall.
“Pleasure,” the man gave a broken-toothed grin as Atom planted himself before the cell. “What’re you in there for?”
“Killed a few souls,” Kalhoon’s lips twitched as his eyes roamed about the cell block like those of a caged panther. “It’s in the job writ, so I don’t see what their twisted bits is all about. Just doin’ my job as I sees it.”
“Who’d you kill?”
“Just some fellers that tried to cheat ol’ Kalhoon at Digis. They tried to move fast, but I caught ‘em,” a darkness seeped through his laugh. “Stuck ‘em I did. I moved faster. Stuck ‘em all ‘fore they could even draw.”
A thought crossed Atom’s mind, but Kozue seemed a step ahead.
“You’re not letting him out,” she snapped.
“So, Kalhoon, I’m guessing you want out of there,” Atom glanced down to the door of the detention center.
“Nothin’ more,” Kalhoon replied. “There’s one as got away. I owe him.”
“If I let you out, do I have your word you won’t cross me or mine?”
“I may not have a hitch about killin’, but I’ve got my honor, and you’ve got my word.”
“Atom, why would you let a deranged sociopath out on an unsuspecting populace? Do you have any idea the damage he could do?” Kozue pleaded.
“They aren’t an innocent populace,” Atom whispered.
Kalhoon cackled. “You’re as crazed as I am. I see you whispering to yourself. Let me out and you won’t set eyes on me again, least not with hostile intent. I’d off you my services, but seems you already got yourself a tight crew.”
“That I do. I don’t have need of another hand at the moment, but I’ll keep you in mind if I ever do.”
“I’d be grateful. A man can always use some honest work.”
Atom swiped the keycard and cell door hissed open. For a moment Kalhoon stood looming in the dim light of his cell. Tensing, Atom waited for the man to make a threatening move, but his fear proved unfounded. With a lurching gait of someone too long confined, Kalhoon stepped from the cell and moved past Atom.
“Much obliged, Atom,” he knuckled his forehead as he lumbered away. “I’ll be gone from your sight, but a moment. Keep mind to your word to look me up if you have need.”
“My word’ll match yours,” Atom called out as Kalhoon stalked from the detention corridor without hesitation.
“Will that work?” Kozue asked.
“If he’d meant me harm, he would have done it immediately,” Atom returned to the jailkeep’s cubby and pulled a tablet from its rack. “His type is quick to action, but everything he does is a reaction. Treat him honorable like, and he’ll heel until he feels you’ve slighted him
“It’ll work,” Atom exited the block, scanning his tablet as he strolled. “He’ll provide us with another layer of distraction.”
“Hope you’re right.”
“We need to focus. Can you get me to engineering?”
“Of course.”
Atom pressed forward through the winding corridors of the ship, following Kozue’s curt directions. Along the way he passed dozens of mercs, but none gave him the first thought as he kept his eyes glued to the screen in his hands. As he wandered he maintained a casual, yet businesslike air.
Only when he drew near the engineering deck did he draw a curious stare. What he assumed to be a higher ranked officer accosted him.
“Who are you and where’s your uniform?” the woman demanded.
“Atom came to a halt and looked around like a startled bird. “Me?” he asked with wide-eyed innocence.
“Are you a soldier or a sailor?” the officer asked.
“Cap of my own ship, Bear’s Claw,” Atom glanced one last time at his tablet and turned his attention to the officer. “I just signed on with the Lancers. Tull told me to walk around and get a feel for your operations.
“And you are?” he asked with a flirtatious hint to his voice.
“Anderson,” the woman skewered him with an icy stare. “I wasn’t aware we were bringing on fresh blood-bags.”
Atom shrugged away the insult and gave his most charming smile. “I happened to be burning into the system and picked up an offer floating on the relays. It said something about replacing ships. I won’t turn down a chance to run with an elite outfit like this. Plus, ten percent of all haul and fifty on what my ship bags ain’t too shabby neither.”
“Fifty?” Anderson raised an eyebrow, a crack marred her façade. “I might need to renegotiate my contract. My ship’s only pulling forty, and I’ve seniority.
“What’re the specs on Bear’s Claw?” her stern demeanor slammed back in place.
“Vette,” Atom sidled closer to the woman. “She’s a runner. Outfitted her myself. She’s faster than a cap ship, but packs more of a punch than anything in her class.”
“What did you say your name was?” she halted his advance with an icy wall.
Just as he prepared to reply the woman’s eyes widened and she turned and ran down the hall.
“Jones,” Atom called after the receding form. “Dave Jones, but call me Davie.
“I told you he would come in handy,” Atom muttered to Kozue as he turned and studied the broad door to the engineering deck. “Now I have to carry on this charade long enough to get in there and find Byron.
“According to Hither, he should be in there somewhere.”
“Yes,” Kozue calculated. “I am detecting the proximity of his nanos as we speak. He is within the bounds of the engineering bay, but down one more level. The most direct route is actually through the bay and down the inner access elevator.”
“Then in we go,” Atom slapped open the hatch
Inside the engineering bay a dozen sets of eyes leaped from consoles and routine tasks. Atom hesitated. Then a burly mech detached himself from a conversation to approach.
“Help ya, mate?” he wore a puzzled expression. “We haven’t seen your type down this way in a handful of cruises.”
“New captain,” Atom raised his eyebrows in appreciation of the smoothly functioning power plant. “Name’s Jones,” he extended a hand, palm up. “Just signed on with Tull, and he gave leave for me to wander about while he handled some affairs.
“Said mention of prisoners,” Atom leaned in conspiratorially. “Wouldn’t mind dipping my fingers in some ransom monies, but I’m guessing I’m late for that party.”
“Wouldn’t know nothin’ about that,” the man squinted at Atom.
“No worries, mate,” Atom slapped the man on the back and stepped past him, deeper into the engineering bay. “This here’s a wonder. You keep her running trim. Nothing prettier than the smooth sound of a running core. Reminds me of a heart.
“What’s she run, .75 secs?” Atom gave an encouraging look.
“Wild dreams,” the mech’s mood lightened. “If we can get her to .60, we’re running with empty holds. She averages .49 with a full load, but there’s enough jump gates to get around that.”
“So we’re sticking to the lanes? I thought for sure Tull would pull to the Skins.”
“Why? There ain’t no profit to be made out there. Fact is, somebody’s got to be bankrolling this little jaunt from the Palm. Ain’t nothin’ for us on this rock we’re guarding. Not enough wealth if they cracked the moon.”
“Then why are we here?” out of habit, Atom tucked his hands behind his back and strolled through the engineering bay as if on inspection.
“Beats me,” the man shrugged and trotted after Atom like a curious hound. “Stability? A favor? Mayhaps there’s actually something out here worth having. Any which way, it don’t matter to me. I’m here for a payout, and Tull’s never skimped on that end of what we do.”
“Where’s that go?” Atom ducked his head to the broad, gated lift at the rear of the engineering bay.
“Storage the next level down, cargo holds, and then a smaller supply bay.”
“Mind if I take a look at the supply bay?”
The head mech puzzled at Atom, but gave a hesitant nod. “If Tull really gave you the run, then I ain’t going to stop you. Ain’t much down there at the mome, but you can look out to the black ‘til your heart’s content.”
“I’ll be quick,” Atom gave a chummy smile as he opened the lift and stepped aboard. “I just like to see how other ships run. You know, see if there’s a way I could modify my own ship to make her run more efficiently. You never know where you’ll pick an idea that could save your life in an exchange.”
“I guess,” the engineer grunted as he slammed the gate shut. “Just stay clear of my storage. I don’t like folks messing with my organization.”
“Wouldn’t think of it.”
With a lurch the lift ground into motion and Atom watched as the man rose before him to disappear beyond the limit of the floor.
“Kozue, you have that worm primed?”
“It can burrow the moment you set it free.”
“And the ship jumping killswitch is activated?”
“It’s active for now.”
“Well, it better be, or we’re not getting off this rotter,” Atom ran a hand over the fresh scar on his side and then bounced on his toes. “How are the others making out?”
“It appears that Hither is talking her way to some weaponry with more proficiency than you could have, and the others are wandering around the flight deck. I’m helping them avoid contact as we speak. Their difficulty is finding a ship large enough to transport all of us that hasn’t been fully powered down.”
“They have some time, so keep them out of trouble.”
“I plan on it,” Kozue’s playful laugh reassured Atom. “It’s like playing chess, with human pawns.”
“Great,” Atom muttered.
The lift jerked to a stop and Atom looked out beyond the grill. A dim corridor stretched off, quiet and tomb-like. Yellowish lights cast a garish glare on the dark metal walls, giving Atom a sense of some dank, subterranean tunnel.
“We alone down here?”
“I’m only detecting one life-form,” Kozue replied. “It’s Byron.”
“Where?”
“Fourth door on the left.”
Before Atom stepped from the elevator the fourth door slid open and Byron walked into the gloom of the hallway, backlit by a bright light from within his room. For a moment Byron squinted into the dimness of the hallway and then he found Atom standing in the shadows of the lift.
“Took your time getting here, darl,” his face lit up. “Kozue said you were here aboard the ship, but that was a couple days ago.”
“Didn’t realize I was here myself,” Atom glanced up through the open grill of the lift, wondering if the engineers had eyes on him.
“Come on down,” Byron beckoned and turned back into his room.
Atom only hesitated a heartbeat. He stepped forward, but before leaving the lift he dragged a heavy crate from the hallway and propped the gate open.
“Hope that holds,” he muttered to himself.
“I’ll inform you if anykin begins snooping,” Kozue interjected.
Atom nodded and trotted down the hallway. As he moved a plan developed. His initial thought of infiltration had disappeared to the ethereal winds of space the moment he let go of the railing aboard the planet-cracker.
Now he adapted and improvised.
“They give you free reign?” Atom asked as he crossed the threshold of Byron’s cell.
“To a stretch,” Byron stood in the center of the room and looked around. “They gave me this room and said I could wander, but going down just gets me to an empty hanger and up dumps me in engineering where every boke ocs me.
“So I’s been tinkering,” he plopped down on a narrow cot and spread his hands wide to encompass the workshop he had called home. “It’s closer to where I grew up than I’d care to admit, but it keeps me busy. I know Koze said you’d be along, but she didn’t give me much in the way of a timeline.”
“You did well to hunker down,” Atom studied the shop.
“What else could I do?” Byron laughed and rubbed at his weary eyes.
The repurposed workshop still bore all the tools and supplies one would expect to find aboard a ship, with the exception of the cot crammed in the corner. A wide worktable dominated the center of the room with tool racks and supply shelving scattered around the perimeter.
“So what have you been working on?”
“Nothing worth their while,” a sly smile crept to Byron’s face.
“How’d they know you were a mech?”
“I told them,” Byron shrugged. “I got no real skill otherwise. Used what I could to make sure they didn’t dump me on the way up.”
“Smart.”
“Nobody ever accused me of lacking brains in the pan, cap. Something tells me we don’t have time to be chatting, though.”
“No, you’re right on that. I told them I was a new cap in the fleet and they just let me wander the ship.”
“And that worked?” Byron laughed as he shook his head in disbelief. He hopped to his feet. “Well, any way about it, we need to be making some sort of rad trails from this crate. The Ticket should fly circles around them.”
Atom pursed his lips. “Kozue didn’t tell you?’
“Tell me what?”
“The ship’s grounded. That charge Tull tossed in one of your engines blew it completely off its mount and gutted her innards. She won’t fly until you’ve had a go over. I probably could have gotten her in the void again, but I wouldn’t trust my handiwork out there in the deep. I’d have a better chance of stranding us in the black and none of us really want that.”
Byron’s shoulders slumped at the news. “So how’d you get up here?”
“Longer story than we have time for right now. I think I’ve figured my steps to get you out, but you’ll have to trust me.”
“Do I have a choice?”
“Not unless you’ve signed on with Tull for the long haul,” Atom extended a hand to pull him off the cot. “I need you to head down to that supply bay and wait for me there. Sound simple enough?”
“Sure,” Byron followed as Atom trotted back to the lift.
“Good. I’m going to head down there with you and take a quick scan before they get suspicious up there. I’ve been down here a few minutes too long as it is. Think they’ll come looking?’
“Probably not,” Byron poked the controls as Atom slid the gate shut.
“Good,” Atom lost himself in thought as they began descending once again.
––––––––
“Get a good view?” the head mech asked as Atom resurfaced in engineering.
“Not bad,” Atom shrugged and shook his head at the lift. “But I’ll never get used to having a hole in my ship. My girl’s got a hold door to keep all my atmo in the innards, where it should be. No chance I’ll have a power hiccup and lose my containment field.”
The man leaned back in a chair, monitoring fluctuating charts with a distracted air. “What took so long?” he asked without looking up.
“Ran into a kid down in the bay. He seemed lonely, tried talking my ear off,” Atom leaned on the high back of the control desk and looked down at the man. “He your kid? I heard of mercs bringing their kits along with them, but never had one on my own ship.”
“That a fact?”
“Yup, kits just get in the way. The manner I run my ship is all shipshape and business. Not space for extra mouths in my book. Know what I’m talking?”
“Look Mac, I’ve got a bay to run,” the man grunted with disinterest. “No disrespect, but I don’t have time to sit and jabber. You had your look about, now I’d suggest you find your way back to the upper decks, or better yet, back to your own ship.”
“Hey now,” Atom held up his hands in surrender. “I didn’t aim to step on toes.
“I’ll just show myself out and be on my way,” he shoved off from the desk and strolled away. “Hopefully I won’t bother you too soon.”
As he passed through the doors and paused to allow them to slide shut behind him, Atom closed his eyes and breathed out a deep sigh of relief. He rolled his shoulders and then pointed his feet back the way he had come.
“I can’t say I expected you to pull that off,” Kozue praised “I don’t recall finding anything about acting in your history.”
“That wasn’t acting,” Atom stalked toward the fore of the ship, aiming for the hangars. “That was confidence. You have to own it as a captain, even when you don’t believe it yourself. I learned that lesson early on in my career. If your people don’t have any faith in your commands, then you might as well frag yourself.”
Atom walked in silence for several minutes. Passing mercs and sailors along the way, he avoided them again by scowling at the pad he had stolen from the jailkeep’s desk.
“I believe you will be joined momentarily by...” Kozue cut herself short.
“Atom,” Hither called out as she rounded a corner and fell into step. After setting Margo down between them, the pair slowed their pace to accommodate the girl. Hither waited for the hall to clear before pulling his rail-pistols from her satchel and handing them over.
“Had to use a little charm,” she batted her eyelashes and fixed Atom with a playful pout. “But getting everyone’s gear proved surprisingly easy.”
“How’d you manage?” Atom holstered his pistols and settled his coat.
“Just told them I wanted to keep them as a trophy, since I turned you in for the bounty,” a coy smile brightened her features as she nudged Atom. “I knew the money would go fast, but I wanted something to remember the great Atom Ulvan by.”
“You used my name?”
“Why not? It holds more clout than some made up feek like Jones,” she covered her mouth to hide the snicker “So was it you that turned that loon loose on the ship?”
“What do you mean?”
“Word is, they had trouble with a merc who ran just a touch too loose. He didn’t work well with others and had a run in with a few mates over a game of cards. From what the minder at the armory said, he killed three out of four before the last merc had time to draw.
“And he only used his knife,” Hither’s hand drifted to the hilt of her own thin blade.
“That a fact?”
Hither just cocked her head to look at Atom from narrowed eyes.
Margo watched Hither with a smile on her lips as she reached up to take Atom’s hand.
“When they finally cornered him he took out half a dozen more bokes before they could subdue him,” Hither stopped at a pair of closed blast doors. “I hear he was going to stand trial and there was a good chance they were putting him out to walk the void. But that was before he mysteriously got out of the detention center.”
“If they know he’s out, then they have to know about us,” Atom measured his words and actions.
“Probably,” Hither shrugged as she looked up at the massive doors. “But right now they’re more worried about the maniac running around the ship. The good news is this boke, Kalhoon is more intent on revenge than escape.”
“So the hangar should be clear?” Atom scooped up Margo, clipping her into her straps without a thought.
“Hopefully,” Hither keyed open the blast doors.
On the other side of the doors the massive hangar sat quiet. A few scattered techs and mechs worked on various maintenance jobs. Ships, ranging in size from massive transports to single engine fighters, sat in neat rows according to their type.
“Well, close enough,” Hither stepped through the hatch. “Looks like we’ve had a run of good luck.”
“What did you say your name was?” a hard voice called out from behind them.
Atom glanced over his shoulder. “You had to go and open your mouth,” he muttered as he flashed a pleasant smile.
“Sorry,” Hither scowled without turning. She scanned the hangar, looking for signs of Shi and Daisy. “Those two have got to be around here somewhere. I haven’t heard any alarms sound.”
“I asked you a question,” Anderson demanded, her voice commanded authority.
“Jones,” Atom stepped toward the woman. “David Jones, captain of the Bear Claw.”
“Thought you said Bear’s Claw earlier.”
“I thought you didn’t remember my name,” Atom’s casual smile crept back.
“I just talked to Tull. He said we haven’t brought any new captains aboard the ship since our last port of call. Said he doesn’t have any idea why someone would be prancing around here pretending to be a captain.
“Problem is, he’s a little preoccupied with other issues to take time to come see if he remembers your face,” her hand drifted toward the blaster at her hip. “So he sent me to track you down and figure out just who you are. Funny thing is, you seem to match the description of a prisoner we had in the hole.”
“Prisoner, ma’am?” Atom hitched his thumb in his gunbelt and scratched at his stubbled face with his other hand. “Don’t reckon I know what you’re playing at.”
The officer scoffed and dropped her head with a smug smile. “I'm sure you do, Atom....”
Before the woman finished his name Hither moved. Looking over her shoulder she drew and fired without turning, cutting off the charade and ending Atom’s train of thought. The blaster bolt struck true with a crackle of energy and hiss of seared flesh.
“We don’t have time to dicker,” she snapped. “Words are words, and we all knew where that was headed.”
“Truth,” Atom scowled at the settling body a moment before turning back to the hangar. “But I’m fair sure I could have talked by way out of that. Would have saved us an alarm that sure to be raised as soon as someone rounds that corner.”
“We’re losing our window as we speak.”
“Well, that’s your doing,” he looked out into the hangar and tracked a mech running for cover. Instinct kicked in. He drew and fired from the hip. The man dropped, tumbling to the floor in a flail of arms and legs. “Now we need to find Daisy and Shi right off.
“Kozue, you got a bead on those two,” Atom holstered his pistol and stepped up beside Hither.
“Prepping a heavy transport on the far side of the hangar,” Kozue replied.
“Heavy transport?” Atom raised an eyebrow. “Nothing faster available?”
“Apparently not. They tried seven ships before they locked in on the transport. I believe I could have helped them hack through the security walls, but they were concerned with time.”
“Fine,” Atom snapped as he swept Margo onto his back and broke into a jog. “Just guide us to their location.”
Hither fell into step, matching Atom’s long legged lope as he followed Kozue’s directions to the heavy dropship. Having seen the layout, he had a fair idea of his destination, but in a row of several dozen identical ships, finding the correct one without the help of his AI would be like picking the right ship from a junk lot.
“Where’s Byron?” Hither asked as they jogged past a pair of startled mechanics.
“I left him down below.”
“Wasn’t he the point of all this?”
“Still is,” Atom ducked down between a pair of parked ships and continued on their earlier line.
“Then why’d you leave him?”
“Easier to pick him up later than try to talk him past an engineering bay full of mechs who know he’s not supposed to be up top. There’s a docking back a couple decks below engineering.
“I told Byron to wait for us there,” Atom adjusted Margo and cast a glance over his shoulder. At the far end of the hangar mercs gathered, like ants from a disturbed colony.
“You lead a charmed life, Atom Ulvan,” Hither barked out a ragged laugh between her deep, measured breaths.
“It’s really just contingency planning, and adaptation on the fly. Got to be liquid, not rigid,” he stopped at the loading ramp of the last transport in the row. “Sure, they had to pick the farthest one from us.”
“But it’s the closest to the bay doors,” Kozue pointed out.
“Truth, but they picked a fully loaded ship,” he grunted as he stalked up the ramp into the dim interior of the ship. He stopped as he reached the top of the ramp and took in the three rows of hover tanks sitting like slumbering dogs of war. As he weighed the tanks in his mind he knelt and unhooked Margo. A gentle push sent her in Hither’s direction.
As he watched her pad down the aisle he reached out and patted the cool ceramic armor thoughtfully. “Tell Daisy we’re aboard and to fire this crate for a burn. We’re on our way up to the pit. I want to be off the deck before I get there,” he turned back to the hangar, a hand still on the tank. “Kozue, can you tell how close the pursuit is?”
“You should lift off without a problem, but they are closing.”
A ripple of blaster fire filled the hangar with a Doppleresque symphony, drawing Atom to the top of the loading ramp with curiosity. Deeper in the hold Hither took cover behind a tank and drew her pistol.
Not seeing anything to their front, Atom walked to the side of the ramp and grabbing hold of the wall he leaned out to find the source of the confusion.
Sprinting the length of the hangar, Kalhoon bobbed and wove like a frenzied jackrabbit as a pack of mercs doggedly pursued him. Cocking his head as he ran, the stranger altered his course to make a beeline for the powering transport. From the cockpit Daisy began lifting the cargo ramp in preparation for lift off and seeing his escape avenue closing, Kalhoon pressed on a burst of speed.
Just when Atom feared the man would fall behind he leaped and caught the closing ramp. Without thought, Atom dove forward and with the raw strength hidden in his wiry frame, he hauled the vagabond merc over the lip just in time to prevent the hydraulics from crushing his legs.
“Close one, mate,” Kalhoon’s cagy smile glowed in the dim hold. “Thought I might be cutting that one a touch close.
“Looks like I owe you a pair of solids,” he slapped Atom on the shoulder as he hopped to his feet and sauntered down the narrow aisle between a pair of hulking tanks. Atom looked at the bloody handprint on his jacket and with a scowl staining his face he trailed along behind.
As they mounted the steps leading to the upper region of the ship Hither appeared.
“Atom, Daisy needs instructions now,” she gave Kalhoon a puzzled glance, but spun on her toes and disappeared the way she had come.
“You heard the lady,” Atom slid past the merc. “Make yourself comfortable. This shouldn’t be too long a trip, but I can’t guarantee it’ll be smooth. Probably on the right tack to strap yourself in.”
“I can make it so,” Kalhoon saluted with a sloppy air and skipped back down the stairs.
Atom shook his head, puzzled. Then he ran up the stairs and followed a familiar path to the cockpit. With natural command he assessed the situation the instant he stepped through the hatch. Satisfied with Daisy’s handling, he grabbed a wrapped length of overhead piping and leaned forward to examine the chaos outside the viewing port.
“You move right,” he laid a hand on Daisy’s shoulder. “Ease her out and then scrape the belly of this big beasty. We still need to pick Byron up.”
“You didn’t snag the boy?” Daisy asked without shifting his concentration from guiding the heavy transport through the narrow confines of the hangar bay. Only his eyes and hands moved.
“Not exactly.”
“What’s that mean?” Shi asked from where she perched on a console to the rear.
“It means it wasn’t opportune to bring him out with me. Too many hostiles between him and here that would’ve nailed him and us before we made any headway,” Atom narrowed his eyes and scanned the line of ships parked beneath the prow of his pirated ship.
Lancers scurried between the ships. They ignored the escaping transport, instead focusing on prepping the myriad assault fighters and bombers lining the bay.
“On quick, or they’ll have us before we’ve made our grab.”
“Grab?” Daisy ventured a quick glance over his shoulder.
“He’s waiting in the belly supply bay.”
“So we pull a flyby?”
“Might be a touch slower than that,” Atom drummed his fingers on the bulkhead above him. “I didn’t see any suits in the bay, so we’ll have to pull a skimming dock.”
Daisy grinned. “The MacDuff? Sounds like a peach,” he rolled his shoulders and cracked his neck as he guided the bulky ship from the mouth of the bay.
“Good,” Atom turned to leave “You get us nosed up and drop the ramp. Hither and I will make sure Byron makes it aboard. I’ve prepared a little surprise for Tull. I don’t reckon he’ll see it coming, but even if he does, I don’t know that there’s much he can do about it.”
“You have about thirty seconds to the bay,” Daisy pulled hard at the yoke and twisted the ship to skim along the belly of the carrier. “Looks like we might have trouble.”
A flight of fighters whipped from the bay behind them. Their initial speed carried them well out into the deep before they vectored in on the fleeing transport. Daisy used the brief gap to put more of the carrier between them. He deftly kept the transport skimming the surface of the carrier and built up a moderate speed.
Atom felt the surge of the ship as he retraced his steps to the hold.
“Kozue, initiate the worm,” he hopped down the last few steps to the hold floor and paused to look around. “Think this will work?”
“I don’t see why not. I’ve been working on this since we arrived in system. AI built worms are notoriously challenging because they are built with a chaos theory that the human mind has difficulty anticipating.”
“Good, unleash hell. Now how are we looking?”
“Worm is gone to the wind,” Kozue sounded pleased. “Now to see how it plays out.”
“It’s too bad, I wanted to see your handiwork.”
“I believe you will have the opportunity to view what I’ve been working on in a moment. We may need to take countermeasures soon. The Lancers have launched a squadron of fighters. It is my calculation that they will destroy us before we accomplish our goal if we do not take action.”
“As expected,” Atom wove his way through the crowded hold to the sealed cargo ramp. “Koze, I need you to take over the main defensive suite. How many turrets does this rig pack?”
“Six,” Kozue replied. “Three ventral and three dorsal.”
“Tell Shi to get topside, and find me Kalhoon.”
Kozue fell silent.
Atom leaned forward to look through one of the small viewing ports embedded in the sturdy ramp. He watched as a barrage of torpedoes erupted from the flanks of the Lancer’s flagship.
“It’s beautiful, Koze,” he muttered as the propellant kicked in and the torpedoes streaked across the black like crazed fireflies. Under the guidance of Kozue’s worm the systems drove the deadly comets into the scattered Lancer ships. Explosions plumed as gasses escaped from broken ships.
With the surprise complete, Atom turned back to look around.
“Negative. I detect no biometric signs aboard the ship outside our company.”
Atom lifted his chin and flipped his coat back from his pistol. “Kalhoo,” he yelled. “You around here?”
A distant, muffled reply met his ears.
At the far end of the cargo bay a head popped up from one of the parked tanks.
“Interesting,” Kozue said. “I didn’t realize the tanks would shield the ship’s sensors. I believe it redundant to tell you that I’ve found him.”
Atom shook his head.
Kalhoon hopped to his feet and dusted off his knees as he scowled into the dimness to locate Atom. “What do you need?” he cupped his hands around his mouth to yell across the hold.
“You know how to handle a ship’s turret?”
“Who doesn’t?” Kalhoon hopped down from the tank and trotted forward to where Atom stood. “We having some trouble?”
“Seems that way,” Atom pointed to the hold ramp as a series of concussions reverberated through the floor. “Tull’s launched some fighters to give us chase. We don’t need to worry about larger ships, but I need you on a ventral turret to swat some firebugs.”
“I’m trained on the suite if that would help,” Kalhoon cocked his head like a bird.
“That’s covered, and I have Shi topside.”
“Shi?” Kalhoon traced a ward over his heart. “That’s a cursed name.”
“Only to those as cross her,” Atom’s lips curled in a slight smile. “Fact of the matter is, she’s saved my life more than a few times since I brought her on.
“But that’s neither here nor there, I need you to drop to that turret before those fighters tear us a hole we can’t patch. We aim to be gone in a few, but until that time I’d appreciate it if you recalled you owe me a couple times.”
“I do,” Kalhoon agreed. “I’ll still owe you when all this is over.”
He disappeared into the hold only to be replaced by Hither.
“Where’s he in such a hurry to get?” she asked as she ducked to look out the viewing port.
“Turret.”
“They coming after us?”
“Wouldn’t you? We did just steal a transport, and we insulted them by having the stones to escape.”
“And I killed Anderson.”
“That too,” Atom pulled his rail pistol and inspected it. “How’re things looking out there?”
“They’re turning on each other,” she said, puzzled. “Did you have anything to do with that?”
“How would I do that?” Atom asked with feigned innocence. “I suppose you could talk to Koze and see if there’s anything we could have done to shift their allegiances. Although that would take more time and money than I have at my disposal.
“Where’s Go?” a startled look filled his eyes.
“I left her up with Daisy,” she replied without taking her eyes from the death blossoms erupting around them.
Atom nodded in relief.
A sudden shift in gravity wrenched at Atom’s stomach as Daisy pulled a spinning maneuver and kicked the thrusters to full for a power brake that left the ship motionless in the void. Atom looked out another port in time to watch a pair of fighters overshoot their mark and rain a strafing volley into the side of the Lancer carrier. Pulling his attention away from the ships, Atom found himself staring at an empty supply bay.
His stomach clenched even as Daisy swung the transport in with a delicate hand and dropped the ramp.
The ramp thudded onto the extended flooring of the bay and Atom bolted down with his pistols drawn and ready. At his side Hither shouldered an assault blaster and swept the area from the foot of the ramp.
The action driven nerves intensified.
“Where is he, Atom?” Hither called out as her eyes continued to roam.
“I don’t know,” Atom’s chest tightened.
“I’m here,” a tiny voice squeaked.
Byron emerged from behind a pallet of spare parts and sprinted across the empty floor.
Relief flooded through Atom. The feeling shifted as the lift on the far side of the bay opened and spilled out a dozen heavily armed mercs. Repressing the rollercoaster of emotion, Atom settled himself and dropped to a knee.
As Byron scampered across the floor Atom and Hither laid down a suppressing barrage on the mercs, forcing the lightly armored soldiers to take cover. In that time Byron slipped past Atom and up the ramp. The boy disappeared in between the tanks, leaving the pair to cover his retreat.
Hesitating a moment, Atom kept up his fire until his cylinders both clicked on an empty chamber. He turned and covered the ramp in three steps, tapping Hither’s shoulder as he moved past her. A practiced hand unloaded and reloaded his pistol as he ducked behind cover and turned his focus back to the spreading pattern of the mercs. As he slapped the cylinders home he felt the ship shudder beneath the attack of the swarming fighters from without.
Popping like a meerkat, he targeted a pair of mercs scurrying forward. He dropped them just as blaster bolts from the other mercs splashed over his tank’s armored plate.
“Hither,” he called out as he ducked.
Without turning, she backed up, crouching as she continued to fire controlled bursts toward the enemy.
Just as she hit the top of the ramp a pair of auto-turrets on the nose of the transport spun to life and began spitting death at the mercs. Under this cover Hither retreated into the belly of the ship.
Atom ran to the wall and slapped at the button to close the ramp.
As soon as the ramp rose enough to provide cover, he turned and fixed Byron with a cool stare. Then a broad smile of relief broke through the cloud cover and Atom shook his head in disbelief. “It’s good to have you back,” he shook his head in disbelief.
Hither tousled the boy’s hair and gave him a friendly wink.
“Daisy, get us out of here,” Atom holstered his pistols as he looked to Byron again. “Hither, settle him in. We shouldn’t be on this crate for long, but I have some ideas of what we can do with the guts.”
Atom trotted back to the cockpit as Daisy put some distance between the two ships. Surrounding them, a graveyard of ships lit the void.
“Are the fighters still giving us grief?” he asked as he leaned over Daisy’s shoulder once again to survey the wreckage. “I haven’t heard anything since we were docked. Is there a chance our little worm convinced them to retreat?”
“I think it might have,” Daisy eased the tiller to pivot the ship in a graceful swoop. “Either that or they burned for the deep, but they’re just short range fighters.”
“Atom,” Byron interrupted, standing in the doorway. “I wanted you to know I left a little surprise for Tull.”
“What sort of surprise?”
“This,” Byron produced a plain black trigger. With a nervous sniffle, he pressed the button. His eyes grew wide as an explosion ripped out from the belly of Tull’s carrier.
“Sorry,” the boy said in wonder. “I didn’t expect it to be that big.
He looked at Atom with a dumbfounded expression. “They left me down there so long I got bored. I figured I would pop a few systems that would disable the ship long enough for us to make a break.”
Atom jerked his head around as secondary explosions danced along the hull in a series of ripples that unified into one massive eruption and broke the vessel’s back, leaving the flagship drifting, powerless through the void. Flickering lights popped like a photographer’s flash as pockets of trapped atmosphere caught and burned in rapid succession.
“That’s some surprise,” Atom stared in shock, joined by Daisy who let the ship ease into acceleration along its previous trajectory. After the dead carrier drifted from the main viewing port, Atom turned to Byron. “How’d you manage that?”
“Crawlspace access to the ordinance hold,” Byron’s voice shook and he looked like he wanted to cry. “I’ve been up here more than a few days, darls. I rigged the hold and pulled just enough explosives to tap into the atmo reprocessor.
“I swear I thought I was just going to kick their main life support,” Byron backed toward the door. “I did tie the system into my device so it would pump pure oxy to the entire ship. I thought it would stir them crazy. I didn’t think this through.
“Fire. Oxy. Boom,” he mimicked an explosion.
“Just promise me, if you kill me, you’ll do it to my face and leave my ship be.”
“You’re my cap,” Byron stopped his retreat and looked at Atom with earnest loyalty. “You might dump me on a planet someday, but you bought my freedom. So there’s not a thing in the verse you could do to cross that line.”
“Don’t be so sure,” Atom gave a hard scowl before turning to Daisy. “Get us back to Shelley. I’ve an itch that’ll only be scratched when we get paid and get the Ticket back in the black.”