Smugger's Virtue (Lathos Galaxy Chronicles Book 2) (3 page)

When the doors of the turbo shaft opened, Matt pulled the dead soldier’s body out and hid it in a maintenance closet. He knew it wouldn’t take long for someone to find it, but he had no choice. The turbo shaft was used more often, and he still had to make his way to the other side of the ship, locate Xandra, and get back. His luck held in that he didn’t encounter any other troops that recognized him, and he made his way to the medical bay without further incident. When the door slid open he saw that Xandra was unconscious and being attended to by a young girl.

The girl looked to be about Xandra’s age, so he guessed she wasn’t a doctor. Maybe she was a nurse or an orderly of some kind, but it didn’t matter. There was no place for him to go, so he was going to have to deal with her. He stepped inside, closed the door, and waited for her to turn around. When she did, she gasped when she saw Matt pointing the gun at her.

"Please," he said quietly, "I don’t want to hurt you, but I am taking her with me."

"You’re him, aren’t you?" the girl said, clearly frightened. "You’re the man who kidnapped her. We thought you were dead."

"I don’t have time to explain, but I didn’t kidnap her."

"No, he didn’t," said Xandra, and Matt looked past the frightened orderly to see her propped up on an elbow. She looked pale and weak, but she was still the most beautiful woman he had ever seen.

"That doesn’t matter, Miss Torin," the orderly said. "General Ragen’s orders are to return you to Lathos."

"This is General Ragen’s ship?" asked Xandra, swinging her feet off the bed. When she tried to stand she staggered, and the orderly instinctively rushed to help her. Matt did the same, and each of them put an arm under one of her shoulders. "I’m alright; I’m just a little dizzy. Roger, if I can just talk to Kellenar Ragen, then I can straighten this out."

"No, you can’t," said Matt. "I have it on good authority that Ragen wants to eliminate both you and your father so he can take over as Chancellor. I think that’s why the fighter from before fired on my ship. If he had destroyed it, then Ragen could have told your father it was a mistake, or that the pilot fired in self-defense because he had no choice."

"Then I need to talk to my father. I need to explain what happened and warn him."

"You seem like a nice woman, Miss Torin," said the orderly. "I was just assigned to this ship a month ago. Everyone else on board has worked for General Ragen for a long time. None of them think much of your father. I don’t know what’s going on, but I do know that every transmission is routed through the com system in the command center. If you try to contact your father from any place on this ship, the general will know about it. If he really does want you dead, he can have the transmission jammed, and then send a security squad to your location in seconds."

"We have to get back to my ship," said Matt. "Once we’re safely away we can contact your father and tell him what’s happening, but that’s five decks from here. Can you walk?"

"Let me try," said Xandra. Matt and the orderly let go and she managed to take all of two steps before staggering. Matt caught her just before she fell.

"I guess I’ll have to carry you," he said.

"For five decks?" asked Xandra. "Are you crazy?"

"Here," said the orderly, approaching with a needle in her hand.

"What’s that?" asked Matt suspiciously.

"It’s a powerful stimulant. It should be enough to get her back to that ship you mentioned."

"Why would you help us?"

"I have no idea what’s going on, but General Ragen didn’t seem to care if Miss Torin died or not, plus she seems to really want to go with you."

"If everyone on this ship is loyal to Ragen, then what happens when they find out you helped us?" asked Xandra.

"They won’t," she said, and before either Xandra or Matt could react she jammed a second needle into her own arm. "It’s just a sedative," she said as her eyes fluttered and she sagged against the bed. Matt let go of Xandra and placed the girl in the bed. He checked her pulse and it was strong.

"Roger, we need to go," said Xandra urgently.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"For now," she said, "but we don’t know how long it will last."

"Xandra, I love you," Matt said. "Before we take another step, there’s something I have to tell you." Xandra went to him and kissed him hard on the lips.

"I love you too, but whatever you want to talk about will have to wait." Her declaration of love was enough to make Matt forget about everything else, at least temporarily. He kissed her again, and just as their lips parted an alarm began to sound.

"How did they find us so quickly?" said Xandra as she pulled Matt out the door.

"I don’t think they did," said Matt as he scanned the corridor. "They found the man I killed."

"The man you what?" asked Xandra, grabbing him by the arm.

"I didn’t mean to. He pulled a gun on me. I took it away from him, we fought, and it went off. I hid his body in a maintenance locker. I feel horrible."

"Roger, if you didn’t shoot him, he was going to shoot you. We can’t worry about that right now."

"You’re right," he said, and started pulling her toward the turbo shaft.

"Not that way!" she insisted, and started down another corridor.

"Xandra, where are you going?" he asked as he hurried to keep up.

"Lathonian transports ships all have the same basic layouts. When I was young my dad used to drag me along on diplomatic missions. I got pretty good at knowing how to hide."

"And here all this time I thought you didn’t know how to play hide and seek," said Matt. She led him to a secluded corner, then knelt down and pulled up a section of the floor panel.

"It’s about a four-foot drop," she told him. "Remember to bend your knees." Matt did as she instructed and waited for her to follow. After Xandra dropped down as well she stood up in the opening long enough to replace the floor panel. Seconds later they heard shouts and the sound of footsteps over their heads.

"Perfect timing," said Matt. Xandra pressed one finger to her lips and pointed above them with her other hand. The indication was clear. They may be out of sight, but they could still be heard. On hands and knees, Xandra led Matt to the far side of the ship. Eventually they came to a metal ladder that extended both up and down for what appeared to be several decks.

"These are access spaces for maintenance work," she explained as he followed her down the ladder. "This ladder will take us down to the landing bay." Descending the ladder seemed to take the last of the strength Xandra had from her shot. She managed a couple of steps into the bay before falling to her hands and knees.

"Here, let me help you," said Matt as he slid his arm around Xandra’s waist. Then he half pulled, half carried her to his ship and helped her on board. She was fading rapidly as he got her to the lower deck and into the bed.

"Are you going to join me?" she asked weakly, somehow managing a small smile.

"I’d love to," he said and gave her a soft kiss on the lips, "but need to deal with the guys trying to kill us. Besides, I think you need your rest."

"Roger, I love..." she said but passed out before she could finish. Hearing her call him by his father’s name yet again made him vow that the next chance he got, no matter what was happening, he was going to tell her the truth. A quick bio-scan told him he needed to get help for her quickly if he was ever going to be able to do that. She was bleeding internally again, and even though he wasn’t a doctor, Matt knew if it wasn’t stopped soon, she might never regain consciousness.

"I love you too," he whispered and made his way quickly back to the cockpit. He fired up the engines and used his modified com system to fire another electromagnetic pulse at the energy shield. This time nothing happened. Matt’s sensors confirmed that the shield was still intact. He tried again, but it was no more effective than the last time. Apparently, Ragen’s crew figured out what had happened and took steps to make sure another EMP blast didn’t disrupt their systems.

"So much for the subtle approach," said Matt as he flipped the switch to charge his weapons. He didn’t know how many blasts from his particle cannon it would take to disable the shield, but he had no other choice. When he checked the display panel, he was momentarily confused by the readings. Not only was the power level off the charts, but its pulse signature looked odd. With a grin Matt checked the maintenance log. Ilyea Kurt’s men had installed ionic phase cannons after all. With a single blast the shield was down. As he sped out, he was tempted to engage the ship and find out just how powerful his new weapons system really was, but then he remembered that Xandra was in desperate need of more medical attention. Before Ragen’s crew could raise their shields, he fired two blasts into the plasma vents, disabling their propulsion system.

Matt used the plasma exhaust to escape without having to fight a protracted battle. His new weapons were fun to play with, but he didn’t want to risk doing something that would keep him from getting Xandra home safely. Once he was safely away from Ragen’s ship he set a parallel course for Lathos and recalibrated the com system. He would take whatever punishment they were planning on dishing out. Even if Maxall Torin didn’t believe Kellenar Ragen was planning to assassinate him, at least Xandra would be safe.

When the com system was back online, he opened a channel to Lathos to let them know he was on his way with Xandra and that she needed medical attention, but he was unable to establish contact. A systems scan showed why. Ragen’s ship was jamming his transmission. Matt’s first thought was to just keep on his present course and try to reach again Lathos once he was out of range of Ragen’s ship. The trouble was, the jamming signal was powerful, and Matt had no way to confirm whether or not it reached all the way back to Lathos. He was public enemy number one back there, and for all he knew Maxall Torin had given the order to destroy his ship on site. He wasn’t about to risk that, especially with Xandra on board, so he reversed course.

Matt had spent all of his adult life living alone and trusting no one, but this was the first time he regretted that course of action. The only ally he had anywhere nearby, anywhere in the galaxy for that matter, was Ilyea Kurt. On the one hand that seemed like his most logical destination. Kurt had helped Matt once, so it was clear he had what was needed to do it again. There were two problems with that. One was that, while Ilyea Kurt did appear to be a romantic, he was definitely a businessman. Matt and Xandra had gotten into this predicament once because Matt owed him money, and Matt knew there was nothing to stop him from contacting the Lathonian authorities again if Matt came back there. The other problem was that Ilyea’s hidden moon base was probably the first place Ragen would look for them after he repaired his ship. It wasn’t the first time Matt Britton had felt alone in the galaxy, but it was the first time he could remember it being a problem. Finally, he came up with an idea.

"Britton, if there is anyone left in the galaxy who doesn’t think you’re crazy, then this will seal it," he said as he punched the coordinates of his intended destination into his navigation computer.

"How could one man cause so much havoc?" shouted Kellenar Ragen to the personnel assembled in the command center. He had been in a rage since security had gone to the medical bay and found Xandra Torin gone and the medic groggy and confused. She had clearly been sedated somehow by the man who had taken Xandra Torin.

Even though no one had actually seen it happen, Ragen knew without a doubt it was the same man who had taken her off Lathos in the first place. Clearly he was not nearly as dead as Ragen had been led to believe. He had been resilient enough to do it once, so it stood to reason this mystery man could figure out how to spirit her away again.

Ragen knew he should have insisted on seeing the body and confirming death, but he trusted Ilyea Kurt’s word that the man had been killed when a wall collapsed on him. If he hadn’t been in such a hurry, and if he hadn’t been so trusting of a man who sells stolen merchandise for a living, he might not be in this mess right now.

When the report came to him that the ship that had blasted its way off their transport was the same one that had been docked at Ilyea Kurt’s moon, and that it was the same ship one the fighter pilots loyal to him had tried and failed to destroy, Ragen knew for sure.

He was so angry with Ilyea Kurt for deceiving him that his first thought was to go back and level the man’s base. He even thought for a moment that this mystery man might even go back there, but he dismissed it. The man, whatever else he was, was clever. He would know that Kurt’s moon was the first place Ragen would go to look. The sensor sweep his crew had done of the area said that the ship was heading in another direction entirely anyway. After realizing that Ragen had successfully jammed his attempt to communicate with Lathos, he had gone off somewhere else.

For right now there was only so much Ragen could do. His ship was dead in space. The best estimate he had been given was that it would take three hours to fix, which meant that, knowing his crew, they would really get it done in two in an effort to placate him. He decided to put the time to good use.

"I want security footage pulled so that we know exactly what he looks like, and then I want an image of him transmitted to every planet along his last known flight path. Let them know I am personally offering a reward for anyone who can turn him over to me," Ragen demanded of the men and women assembled. "Check the records from our bio-sensors as well. I want to know what race this man is; maybe his home planet will have some information about where to find him." There were several mumbles of "yes sir," but no one seemed willing to look the man in the face. When he was through with his tirade, he went back to his desk and slumped into his chair.

"Sir, you have an incoming communication from Chancellor Torin," called Ragen’s communications officer. Ragen shook his head and sighed. He didn’t need this right now. He took a moment to compose himself.

"Put it through," he said, and by the time Maxall Torin appeared on the view screen he had even managed a smile. "Chancellor, what can I do for you?"

"You can get my daughter returned safely to Lathos as I ordered and as you promised, Kellenar. That is what you can do for me." The chancellor sounded like he was in almost as bad a mood as Ragen.

"I’m trying to do just that, Maxall," the general assured him.

"The last time we spoke you said you were on your way back at top speed and that Xandra was seriously injured. Now the information I’m being given shows that you’re still several hours away. What is going on?"

"We’ve had a minor mechanical difficulty with the propulsion system, that’s all," said Ragen, trying to sound casual. "Repairs are underway as we speak."

"How long will these repairs take?"

"Another two hours at most."

"How is Xandra?" asked Torin. Ragen was starting to feel like he was being interrogated. It was taking everything he had at the moment to remain composed.

"I’m afraid her condition is unchanged." Ragen knew what kind of response this would produce, but there was no help for it. Telling Maxall that Xandra was fine might have eased the man’s concerns for now but would have caused problems later when Ragen had to tell the man that she was dead. He still fully intended to find her, and the man who took her. For the time being, nothing had changed.

"Don’t you have shuttles you could dispatch to get her here?" asked Maxall.

"They are short-range vessels," the general said. "Their top speed is nothing compared to this ship’s. Waiting to have the engines repaired will still get her home quicker. Besides that, the shuttles have no defensive capability. Your daughter would be unprotected."

"Kellenar, I’m losing my patience," said Maxall. "I expect Xandra here by tomorrow morning at the latest." The view screen went dark, and so did Kellenar Ragen’s mood.

"Where is the information I asked for?" he bellowed as he stood up and slammed his fist on his desktop.

"It’s just coming in now, sir," said a young male officer. Ragen didn’t know him but the name on his uniform said "Lauten."

"Thank you Lieutenant Lauten," said Ragen as he waited for the man’s report. The lieutenant pulled up security footage for the general on his view screen that clearly showed the man’s face.

"According to our sensors, he’s human."

"There are humans throughout the galaxy," Ragen pointed out. "How does this help us?"

"While what you say is true, this one is a rather special human. He’s from Earth."

"You mean the human planet of origin?" asked Ragen, not quite sure he believed what he was hearing. He had read about Earth in school and could vaguely recall getting one or two intelligence reports that mentioned it, but nothing recent.

"That’s exactly what I’m saying. He’s from the other side of the galaxy."

"Are there any human planets or settlements along his last known course?" asked the general as he considered this new information.

"One or two small colonies, but that’s it. It would take at least a day to reach the nearest one."

"How far are we from this planet Earth?"

"My best estimate is three days at top speed," said Lieutenant Lauten. "Since no Lathonian ship has ever traveled that far, I can’t say for sure."

Ragen froze the security footage in a spot that gave a clear view of the face of the man that had caused him so much trouble over the past few days. "What do we know about his ship?" he asked, his eyes never leaving the view screen.

"It’s a basic transport ship, older model, and it’s been modified."

"Modified how?" asked Ragen.

"The shields and weapons have been enhanced."

"What about the engines? Have they been enhanced as well?"

"He has a standard, fusion-based propulsion system. His ship is fast, but its size and structural integrity mean that if you were to try and push it much beyond its intended top speed you’d risk tearing it apart. He’s faster than us, though."

"I want our own propulsion system fixed within the hour," Ragen said, his brown eyes glaring at the young lieutenant. "And I want his ship found. Analyze his path of travel and project a destination."

"We’re already working on that," Lauten informed him.

"As soon as our engines are back online, set a pursuit course at full speed."

"General Ragen," the communications officer said, "Chancellor Torin is expecting us to return to Lathos. What should we tell him when he contacts us?"

"He is expecting us to return with his daughter," said the general, amending the woman’s statement. "When he contacts us, I will tell him the truth. I’ll tell him that the man who kidnapped his daughter didn’t die as we had been led to believe. I’ll tell him that he managed to take her off this ship, and I will tell him that we tracked the ship down only to find the man and Xandra Torin dead. Now, get those engines repaired and find that ship so that, when I next speak to the chancellor, I won’t have to lie."

"Yes sir," said Lauten and the communications officer. Kellenar Ragen sat back in his chair and managed a small smile. Not every battle goes the way you plan, but with patience and a little luck, an alternative can always be found.