Rise of the Altered Moon: Altered Moon Series: Book One (The Altered Moon Series 1) (11 page)

Chapter Fifteen

The
Altered Moon
lifted off from Keenaw with all hands aboard and headed out of the Krelle system into the Tengshi radiation field. The sector of space discovered long ago by Shuko Tengshi emitted a radiation that interfered with the nav computers of the String Field Drive. The quantum pathways shifted and jumped, which made the equations necessary to plot destinations impossible to lock in. The only way to cross the Tengshi field was by Inner System Engine at star drive speeds.

Gina pulsed the twelve secondary hydrogen intermix engines two at a time to bring the
Altered Moon
to her space normal speed of one hundred thousand KPH. The dangerous thing about traveling at high sub-light speeds was leaving enough time to maneuver or slow down to avoid something the shields couldn’t deflect. Like a planet.

She’d worked her way up to star pilot running cargo missions for a mining company on Drelen. The primary ore eventually ran dry; the mining company folded and went under, taking the Drelen economy down with it. Gina became a pilot vagabond after that, drifting from open post to open post. She was working an ‘almost legal’ cargo job when she got wind of a questionable star pilot posting on an unregistered prototype starship.

A meeting was arranged with the captain of the ship. That’s where Gina met Boss and the bond was instantaneous. Boss told her of the
Altered Moon
and all the sneaky things it could do. Together they dreamed up the name West Becreth out of an anagram of ‘the best crew.’ They established the West Becreth Trading Company and the get rich scheme of clandestine recovery of historic antiquities to go with it. A privateer crew was screened, hired on one at a time, and several lucrative tomb raids were pulled off soon thereafter. The jobs were risky yet thrilling at the same time, and the payoffs were worth the risk.

One stroke of fate changed that in an instant.
Gina sighed.
We were in the wrong place at the wrong time in a big way.
She monitored the flight panels as the
Moon
cruised through the radiation field on its way out of Marlacuer Imperial space.
I’ve never been out of Marlacuer space before probably because it carries the death penalty.

She made the log entries required at the 18:00-hour shift change.
Glad this shift is done. I’m tired.
She yawned and stretched as she thought about sleep. Almost on queue the hatch door swung open and Trigger walked through holding his flight gear and log pad.

“Hey, G,” he said. “How’s she flyin’?”

“Straight and true.” She released the flight harness and stood up from the pilot’s seat. “Glad you’re here. It’s been a long shift.”

“Well, I’ll take her from here,” Trigger told her. “You can go get some well-earned rest.” He moved in as if he was going to take the pilot seat.

As Gina turned her back to him, he reached up and shot her in the neck with a hypo. She tensed for a second, began to relax, then went completely limp as the sedative did its work. Trigger scooped her up as she fell over and carried her over to the bridge life pod. He deactivated the entry alarm and opened the hatch. He disabled the comms unit and the thruster system of the life pod and put her inside.

He spoke one word into his personal comms unit “Go.” He knew Gar and Hali waited to carry out their parts of the plan. He planted a virus in the main computer that transferred all command functions to his control. Any attempt to reroute control would execute an endless logic loop that effectively disabled the station from which the attempt was made. It was a brilliant and well-thought-out move. Just as he finished; the hatch opened and Gar came through with Hali, both carrying an unconscious Cat.

“Put her in the pod,” he told them. “Wilks?”

“In her quarters and unaware,” said Hali.

“Good,” he said, “and the piss-ant?”

“Out,” Gar said suspiciously, “but, he musta hit kinda hard when he fell, Trig.”

“Is he alive?” asked Trigger, as he looked at Gar over his shoulder.

“Oh yeah, he didn’t fall that hard,” he replied with a vicious half smile on his face.

“The command codes are changed,” said Trigger. “Now we deal with JP and then we take on Boss.”

“What do you think JP’s going to do?” asked Hali.

“Hmmm…join us and be star pilot or be marooned in a disabled life pod? What do you think he’ll choose?” Trigger asked. “Gar, get over by the pod and be ready in case he doesn’t want to cooperate. We can’t let him warn Boss. Set? Okay, Hali, go get JP and tell him I want to see him on the bridge.”

Heartbeats counted the few minutes that passed as Hali went off to bring JP to the bridge. Trigger’s thoughts raced ahead; he was pleased that everything so far had proceeded according to plan.
Yeah, Dylan Treesh, Captain of the
Altered Moon
. That sounds good. Sorry Boss, but only the strong survive, and I just happen to be the
stronger.
The hatch door swung open as Hali and JP stepped onto the bridge.

“Hali said you wanted to see me?” he asked, he looked around and saw Gar off to the side and the apprehensive look on his face. “What’s going on here, Trigger?”

“Right to the point. I’ve always liked that about you, JP. “So here it is… I’m taking control of the
Altered Moon
.”

“What? You can’t! The
Moon
is Boss’ ship.
We’re his crew!
” JP said in disbelief. “Where are the others?”

No one answered him.

“Where are the others?” he asked again.

“Look, here’s the deal,” explained Trigger. “Gina and Zhu are in a disabled life pod and we’re going to launch them. We take Boss at gunpoint and give him the chance to get to them before their air runs out. He signs over control of West Becreth, boards the shuttle, and leaves the
Altered Moon
. When he leaves, we get out of this blasted radiation field, jump away, and start pulling some real scores.”

“Trigger, this isn’t right,” said JP.

Gar readied himself, but Trigger held up his hand.

“I’m going to need a star pilot…” Trigger said pointedly.

JP stopped talking and slowly looked at Trigger as the last statement sank in. Trigger could only guess at what was going through JP’s mind, but was sure ‘Star Pilot Jordan Patrick’ was being strongly considered.

“You’re not going to hurt anyone?”

“It’s already done, and nobody’s been hurt yet” said Trigger. “Boss won’t risk Gina being hurt…he’ll back down without a fight.”

“Ohh, man…” JP sighed with uncertainty. In the end only a brief moment of shame passed over his face and then he looked around at the others’ faces then said, “Okay, I’m in.”

“Good, then take your position,
Star Pilot
,” said Trigger. “Stay on this heading until I order otherwise.”

JP nodded his head somberly for a moment then clapped his hands and rubbed them together in visible anticipation. “Yes, sir!” he said. He slid into the pilot seat with a grin and lovingly ran his fingers over the flight panels.

Yep…everything according to plan
, Trigger smiled as JP took the pilot seat. “Gar, seal the life pod and set it adrift. Mark the coordinates in the nav computer.”

“Roger that!” Gar said, obviously eager to put the last piece into play.

He sealed the hatch and thumbed the launch control. The flashing ever-glo-green of the hatch lights flashed as the pod ejected from the ship. Now all they had to do was wait for Boss to come running onto the bridge and straight into their trap.

Boss did indeed arrive at the bridge in record time, but he did so fully dressed and armed. He looked around the bridge and saw them there: Hali, who couldn’t look Boss in the eye; JP, who wouldn’t even look in his direction; Gar, with a look of wishful violence on his face; and, Trigger, who was cool, calm, and in charge.

“Where’s Gina?” Boss focused his attention and anger solely on Trigger. His hand went to the grip of his gun as he looked Trigger in the eye.

“Now, now, Boss, think about what you’re doing. I’m sure you don’t want anyone getting hurt, especially Gina or Cat.” Trigger stood there unarmed and confident with his arms crossed over his chest, “put your gun on the floor.”

Boss’ face darkened, his anger surged, but then he thought of the women’s safety and he cooled down. He reached down, unclipped the gun belt, and let it slip to the floor.

“Hands up and kick it over,” said Gar, as he drew his own weapon and kept it trained on Boss. Boss did as he was told.

“So…this is how it ends,” Boss said.

“Ends?” said Trigger. “No, Boss, this is how it continues. Now…it’s just going to continue under
my
command. You and Gina and Cat, you all aren’t cut out for this life. It’s for the best for everyone, really. You’ll see.”

“You expect me to just hand over my ship…to you?” asked Boss.

“No, Boss, I expect you to go save Gina,” shared Trigger.

Boss’ anger surged again. “What have you done with her? If she’s been hurt…I will kill you, Trigger…I swear.”

“Now, come on, Boss,” Trigger said teasingly. “Nobody’s been hurt…not yet. That is, of course, up to you.”

“What have you done with them?” growled Boss.

“They’re on a little tour of the radiation field…in a life pod…with no comms, no beacon, and no thrusters…and very little air. Just drifting around, waiting for you to take the shuttle and pick them up.”

“Hali? JP?” Boss pleaded. “You two can’t be in on this? It’s Gina and Cat out there! Please, they’re your
friends
!” Neither of them could talk through their shame now that they were face-to-face with Boss.

“Shut up, you!” warned Gar.

“You’re free to go save them, Boss” said Trigger. “Just sign over control of West Becreth and pass official ownership of the
Altered Moon
over to me. You can take the shuttle and go.”

Boss’ spirit sank and his shoulders slumped; he felt helpless.
Gina, you are worth more than anything to me…forgive me.

“You win…
Captain
Treesh,” said Boss. “You can have it all, just let me save Gina and Cat.”

“The command codes first, Boss,” said Trigger.

“Yes…all right. GABI?” he called out, intending to give Trigger command of the
Altered Moon
. GABI shimmered in as the smartly dressed businesswoman.

“Who the hell is that?” screamed Gar.

“Online, Ca…” GABI started to say.

Before she could finish, Gar, who was overexcited to begin with, took it as an attack and fired into the hologram. The sizzle of the three K-13 shots passed through GABI and slammed into Boss. One shot hit his right shoulder and spun him around. The second one missed and burned into the wall, but the third one hit him dead center in the back. Boss was thrown into the wall and crumpled to the deck in agony.
No…no…Gina…love you…
His vision began to go dark.

“Snafu…GABI…snafu…” Boss managed to say before he collapsed motionless on the deck.

“Aye, Captain, initiating self-destruct,” stated GABI, as she looked in disbelief at her Captain. She was powerless to help him and was bound to obey the destruct order. “External inertial stabilizers to full power. Bringing Inner System Engines to maximum thermal threshold.”

Trigger and the others were thrown forward as the
Altered Moon
came to a dead stop in space. The ship began to shudder and shake as the engines worked themselves into an overload. Emergency alarms and warning lights screamed and flashed. Wilks stumbled through the hatch and fell right on top of Boss’ body. She lost her breath when she saw him and then screamed when she saw his blood on her hands.

“JP! Override the destruct sequence!” Trigger had to yell to be heard over the chaos. “Wilks! You need to equalize the engine imbalance! Tamara!” She just sat there stunned and stared at Boss in horror. “Shit!”

“Override not responding, Trigger,” JP yelled back. “All controls are locked out!”

“Engine overload in T minus three minutes,” GABI reported calmly.

“Who the hell are you?” yelled Gar.

“I am the one who is going to blow your ass up in T minus two minutes and forty-seven seconds,” GABI said pleasantly.

“SHIT! SHIT! Everybody to the shuttle NOW! Abandon ship!” ordered Trigger.

The four foiled mutineers scrambled to make it off the bridge. Trigger grabbed Wilks and hauled her sobbing ass to her feet. “Tamara! We need to go!”

“But what about Gina and Cat! We can’t leave Boss back there like that. Trigger Why! Why did you do this…?” He struggled to think of an answer as he half-dragged her to the shuttle bay.

They made it through the squad bay, but had to dodge loose gear that flew around the room as the ship’s engines began to overload. There was no time to grab anything as they ran through the crew cabin. CJ’s body lay crumpled on the deck next to the hatch of the shuttle bay. Trigger joked about him being the last person on board. “I guess that makes you captain, piss-ant.” He kicked CJ in the head one last time and stepped through the hatch into the shuttle bay.