Voyage of the Sanguine Shadow 1: Shadow Galactic (9 page)

“Did that come from him?” asked Jenn.

Taryn laughed humorlessly.  “D’Arro’s in bad
shape.  Not much will be coming from him until he gets patched up.  I’d send
you a visual if I knew how to work this thing, but trust me, he’s not getting
back in his sled.”  Before anyone else could add to the discussion, she
continued, “Don’t worry, we’ve got another way off this ship.  You guys should
leave without us, but wait for my word before heading back to the
Shadow
.”

“Don’t let him die,” said Jenn.  “I mean it!”

“Yes ma’am,” Taryn promised.  “Sikes, out.”

Jenn’s chest heaved.  “I hope your friend knows
what she’s doing,” she warned Takeo.  Steeling herself, she ordered, “Everyone,
saddle up!”  Hurriedly, Takeo, Jenn and the remaining two climbed back into
their sleds.  Seconds later, the tiny vessels closed over them, and forward
thrusters fired, pushed them back out into space.

·· • ··

Within the confines of the
Sanguine Shadow
’s
forward hold, Valerie stood awkwardly against the far wall, near the
primer-gray pressure suit.  The guardsmen chattered in the ellogon tongue,
often pausing to point their weapons at Valerie, then to roar with laughter. 
She couldn’t understand what they were saying, but she had a vivid mental image
of the vile things they were suggesting.

The lead guardsman looked at the tactical display
embedded in his forearm plate and smiled.  “I am sorry for your friends,” he
said to Valerie, almost genuinely sympathetic at first, and he guffawed cruelly. 
“The glorious Perymdak son of Doxol, is coming to congratulate us personally!
Behold, as the might of the Ellogon Empire
crushes
your feeble
attempts!”

She closed her eyes.  Evenly, Valerie exhaled, and
she nodded grimly.  “I’m sorry,” she whispered, and she started to climb into
the training suit.

“What are you doing?” the lead guardsman demanded,
and he pointed his blaster rifle at her.  “Get out of there!”

Glancing pointedly toward the massive bay doors,
she slipped into the suit.  It locked in place around her, adjusted to her
body, fitting snugly within seconds.  Claxons blared, and warning lights spun,
prompting the guards to hastily replace and seal their helmets.

The claxons fell silent as the bay depressurized,
and its massive doors swung slowly away.  Lodoxol’s private skiff, sleek and
painted in reflective red, drifted into view, towing four of the boarding
sleds.  It set down within the chamber, and the sleds jumbled against its aft
thrusters as they powered down.  Smiling brightly, barely visible through the
sloped canopy, the byriani woman waved at the ellogons.

“Wait,” said the lead guardsman as he approached
the skiff.  “Who are you?”

In response, the byriani woman glanced behind her
and gestured with her thumb.

The skiff’s aft cargo hatch popped open, and Taryn
stepped out with her rifle in hand, briefly obscured by a puff of cooled
atmosphere.  The seconds it took for the ellogons to register her was all she
needed to target and dispatch every one of them in a shower of blaster bolts. 
Their bodies toppled to the deck, and with the blaster muzzle still glowing,
she crossed to a large red button and its yellow-and-black striped panel.  She
pressed it, and the cargo bay closed up and pressurized.

Almost as one, the sleds ejected their occupants,
and Takeo joined his squad mates.

Valerie exited the training suit and rushed to the
skiff.  “What happened?”  The canopy popped open, and a boarding ladder
descended.  The byriani woman, rid of her harness and covered now in a thin
blanket, stepped down as Taryn pulled D’Arro from the space behind the pilot’s
seat.

Jenn moved close to lend a hand, but Taryn refused
her help.  “We need to get him to med bay.”

Valerie glared.  “I can see that.”  She glanced to
Taryn’s armored glove.  “What’s that on your hand?”

“I’ll explain it later.”  She heaved and lifted
the wounded ospyrean into her arms, hoisted him over her shoulders.

·· • ··

Two decks above on the
Sanguine Shadow
’s
bridge, Gavin stood alongside Zerki and Collins as Lodoxol studied the jump
rig’s displays.  Breaking the ellogon from his reverie, one of his guards
pointedly cleared his throat and approached the Merchant Prince.  He muttered
something in Ellogon, and Lodoxol stiffened.  Slowly, he turned about, his
russet skin now a shade paler.  The guard showed him his forearm display.

The Merchant Prince stammered something in return
and struck the soldier’s forearm.  He beckoned the other one closer.  After a
moment spent studying the other’s readouts, Lodoxol’s face reddened, and he slowly
shook his head.  “Well played,
eh hm
,” he whispered, his nervous gaze
locked on Zerki.  He produced a data cube and pressed it into her hand.  “Here,
take it.”

Quick to bury her surprise and confusion, Zerki
lobbed the cube toward Krane, and he snatched it from its gentle arc. 
Carefully, he set the storage device into a recess embedded in his console, and
after a moment, a single file was listed.  He tapped it, and it opened to
reveal a detailed map of Ixion Prime.  Known to most space farers simply as
“Scar,” it was a badly savaged world, left wholly uninhabitable by the very
thing that was tasked with terraforming it: Behemothylax.  Anyone who traveled
the space lanes steered clear of Ixion Prime.

Krane zoomed in, isolated an image file and
holographic data pertaining to one particular micro-continent.  Moments later,
Behemothylax was revealed.  The monstrosity filled his console screen, buried
in the spine of a mountain.  After a moment of study, Krane nodded and twisted
to face his captain.  “It checks out.”  He could scarcely contain his own giddy
grin.

“I would have expected nothing less,” Zerki
asserted, and she nodded to the Merchant Prince.  “Let’s return to the forward
hold.  Your payment awaits.”

Lodoxol swallowed visibly and tugged at his thick
collar.  “Of course,” he replied and stepped into the lift with his guardsmen
in tow.  Zerki soon joined him, and the doors slid closed.  The car descended
and shortly opened to the cargo bay.

She startled to see Taryn, clad in her powered
armor, trudging to the elevator with D’Arro pressed over her shoulders.  Beyond
her stood D’Arro’s Beta Combat Team and almost a dozen slain ellogon
guardsmen.  “Sikes,” she muttered, and nodded, straining to maintain her
composure.

“Captain,” Taryn answered and stepped into the
lift with the wounded ospyrean, followed closely by the byriani woman.

Valerie hurried to Zerki’s side, as Takeo, Chelsea
and the others tromped closer.  “Captain,” she hoarsely whispered.  “Something
happened…”

Zerki gravely shook her head, cutting her off. 
“Chelsea, is that cruiser ten-seven?”

“Aye, Captain,” Jenn confirmed.

To Lodoxol, Zerki firmly stated, “Next time, think
twice before attacking your own clients.  It’s bad for your image.”  She
pointed to a stack of three metal footlockers.  “Feel free to count it.  We’ll
drop your skiff off at the nearest starport.  You can have it towed from
there.”

Nervously, the Merchant Prince smiled and urged
his surviving guardsmen into motion.  Between them, they collected their dead
and all three boxes.  When all had been set securely inside, Lodoxol and his
henchmen vanished beyond the primary airlock.  Moments later, the ellogon
shuttle disengaged from the
Sanguine Shadow
.

Zerki breathed out and gritted her teeth.  “Stay
here,” she snapped, casting a steely glance toward Takeo.  Spinning about on
her heels, she returned to the lift and ascended to the deck above.  She
stormed the length of the command module, the junction tunnel, and directly
into sick bay.  Bruce Cajun gingerly peeled away pieces of armor that had been
partially fused to what remained of D’Arro’s left shoulder.

Still in her armored pressure suit, her helmet
tucked under one arm, Taryn regarded Zerki.  “Captain, I—”

“Don’t you ‘Captain’ me!” she snarled, cutting
Taryn off.  She glared at the byriani woman.  “Who the hell are you, and what
are you doing on my starship?”

“Filan Portssi,” the byriani replied.  She glanced
to Taryn.  “She rescued me.”

“Great!  Welcome aboard.”  Zerki fumed, her face
red.  “Explain yourself, Sikes!”

Cajun raised his hand.  “I can’t concentrate with
you yelling, Captain.”

Zerki shot him a withering glare.

“Right, earphones,” he answered.  “Good idea.”

Taryn squared her jaw and crossed her arms.  “Hey,
back off!  I saved his life.”  She drew a deep breath and recounted the events
that had unfolded aboard the ellogon cruiser.  She spared no details.

When Taryn had finished the telling, Zerki sagged
against the wall.  “You killed him?”

Taryn nodded, unashamed.  “He was going to kill
D’Arro.  I had no choice.  Check the helmet cams, if you don’t believe me.”

The captain rubbed her eyes and puffed her
cheeks.  “Ospyreans,” she muttered.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

Zerki smiled wanly and chewed on her upper lip for
a moment before answering.  “It means… at times, I envy how fiercely loyal you
are to each other, but other times…  Times like this…”  She trailed off. 
“We’ve brought the Union to the brink of another galactic war.”

“What!?  How?”  Taryn looked incredulous.  “It was
self-defense!”

Silence hung tensely in the air.  Cajun breathed
out, set his earphones in place, closed his eyes for a moment and returned to
his work on D’Arro.  He felt nauseous, and his normally steady hands began to
shake.

Zerki took Taryn’s helmet.  “I’ll send the footage
up the chain.  Maybe we’ll get lucky, and they’ll only throw us under a
train.”  She managed a parched smile.  After a lengthy pause, she set her hand
upon Taryn’s shoulder and nodded.  Solemnly, Zerki exited the surgical station.

Filan hugged Taryn’s arm.  “Thanks,” she
whispered, and she followed after the captain.

“Have
nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be
beautiful.” –William Morris

The mess hall was a quiet
murmur, despite being rather crowded.  Once again dressed in her street
clothes, Taryn sat close to the entrance, Gavin and Takeo next to her.  She
pushed her food around, and glanced up to Filan as she approached with a tray
of edibles.  “Hey,” she muttered.

“Hi, Taryn,” Filan beamed, and she plopped down
across from her rescuer.  By the look of her ragtag attire, she had raided the hauler’s
lost-and-found.  Filan looked to the space around Takeo and grinned.  “Good to
meet you, Fogg.”

Takeo startled.  “Come again?”

Filan pointed above his head.  “That’s right,
isn’t it?”

“Fogg!  You’re here?” Gavin hoped.

The AI took the shape of a small chrome cube,
seated near the edge of the table.  Fogg was dense enough to cause the heavy
steel table to creak under his weight.  Letters appeared upon the cube’s top
surface, spelling out, “Hello Takeo.  Hello Gavin and Taryn.”  After a moment,
they vanished, and a valentine heart appeared in their place.  It swiftly
faded.

Takeo laughed joyfully.  “Finally, some good
luck!”

“Hey, Fogg,” Taryn said glumly.

“I thought we left you back on Afskya,” added
Gavin.

Fogg printed, “I followed.”

Suddenly, the mess hall fell silent, as D’Arro
stepped into view at the doorway.  With his left shoulder and upper arm wrapped
in thick bandages, he slumped against the jamb.  Cajun did what he could to
bolster the ospyrean giant.  Wincing, D’Arro muttered, “No, I’m alright.  Don’t
strain yourself.”  He forced himself to straighten.  Regarding everyone
present, he at last smiled.

The crew softly clapped, getting to their feet,
and D’Arro waved his hand dismissively, smiling and nodding awhile as a general
sense of cheer swiftly spread.  “A couple things,” he in time spoke over the
din, and the crowd fell quiet.  “First off, let’s have a moment of silence for
Danielle Molin and Tom Worral.  They were two of our finest, and will be sorely
missed.”

A somber hush followed, until it was broken by
D’Arro.  “And the next thing,” he began, looking directly at Taryn.  He
gestured for her to stand, and she did so reluctantly.  “I know everyone’s
heard of her, but for you guys who haven’t met her yet, that’s
the
Taryn
Sikes.  She probably saved the
Shadow
, and she definitely saved my
life.”  He bowed slightly at the hip, the best he could manage in his current
state, and uncertain cheers rose from the crowd.  When they had died away, he
resumed.  “My undying thanks to you.  I owe you my life.”  His smile was
lopsided, and he loosed a musical whistle.  “Yeah, I know what that means.”

One of the salvagers demanded, “What about the
ellogons?  She saved your life, but she probably started a war in the process!”

D’Arro’s expression flattened.  “Captain sent in
the footage.  The ellogons drew first blood, and they know it.  Trust me, they
don’t want a war any more than we do, but if it gets that far…  You know,” he
interrupted himself, “for all the stupid reasons wars are fought, defending
someone’s life might actually be one of the few times it’s clear who the good
guys are.”

The salvager furrowed his brow.  “Sure.  I see
what you mean.”

“Don’t worry,” Zerki said as she stepped into the
dining hall, with Valerie, Krane and Collins at her back.  “I’m taking care of
it.”  Her assurance seemed to put the crew at ease.  Looking to Gavin as he sat
close by, she smiled and asked, “You got a minute?”

“Of course,” he replied and excused himself from
the company of his friends.  He followed Zerki to the officers’ table, and
D’Arro lumbered inside to join them.  The rest of the crew returned to their
respective benches.

Taryn plopped down onto her seat, and she sneered
as a small crowd formed, making its way closer.  “Great,” she muttered.  A mix
of gratitude, wonder and anger dressed the faces of those who now sought her
attention.  She cleared her throat and sat up straight.  With some effort, she
managed a polite smile.

Filan stood, took up her food and motioned for
Takeo.  Glancing to Taryn, she suggested, “We’ll give you your time in the
sun.”

Takeo glanced to Taryn.  “Would you prefer that?”

“Not really,” she said, “but I’ll be alright.”

Rising to his feet, Takeo joined Filan, and Fogg
dispersed, hurrying after.

Zerki noticed Filan and Takeo move to the far
corner of the mess hall, where they stood and resumed eating as a small crowd
swallowed Taryn.  The Captain returned her attention to the table and her
fellow officers.  “There isn’t going to be any war, but the Union’s cutting us
loose—unofficially, of course.  Free to pursue his own justice, Lodoxol’s going
to put a price on the
Shadow
, and every single one of us he personally
encountered.  It’ll be big enough to bring a lot of very bad people out of
retirement.  He also knows that we know where Behemothylax is, and that it’s
very likely our next stop.”

“Is it?” Collins asked.

After a moment, she nodded and firmly stated, “It
has to be.  If we run, they’ll never stop coming for us.  We need to send a
clear message that we can and will hold our own.”

“Don’t mind running.”

She narrowed her gaze.  “I do.”

“He’ll be expecting us to make a move for the
crash site,” offered Krane.

“Sure,” D’Arro interjected, “but Beta Team did a
real number on his engines.  If we move now, there’s no way he beats us there.”

Zerki shook her head.  “That thought hasn’t
crossed his mind.  No, by now he’s hired the best mercenary team his
considerable wealth can buy; probably one with warp engines.  He’ll send them
on ahead of us.”  She looked to Gavin.  “Our only hope is you.  With you in the
rig, we have near-instant jump capability.  That might be enough.”

Valerie asked, “What if the mercs
are
waiting for us?”  She nodded toward D’Arro.  “In his condition, we’d have no
way to fight back.”

D’Arro puffed up and looked proudly toward Taryn. 
“Yeah, we do.  You should’ve seen her!”

Zerki’s expression darkened.  “I did.  She’s got
the killer instinct, alright, but she’s still a rookie, and she’s got no
control.  If she tried to lead a combat team, it’d be the Taryn Sikes Show for
the ten seconds it’d take her to get gunned down.”  She shook her head firmly. 
“I won’t risk any more lives.”

Pensive quiet hung over the table.

Valerie suddenly perked up and glanced to Filan
and Takeo.

“What is it?” Zerki asked.

“We have a stowaway,” she muttered and slowly got
to her feet.

Gavin grabbed her sleeve, tugged, and gestured
dismissively as she regarded him.  “No, it’s OK.  That’s our friend, Fogg. 
He’s an AI.  He followed us from Afskya.”

Also getting to her feet, Zerki motioned for Filan
and Takeo to approach.  Startled out of their lighthearted conversation, the
two crossed the mess hall.  When they had come close, the captain asked, “Fogg,
is it?”

Takeo’s face reddened, and he glanced to Gavin for
a moment before clearing his throat.  “I’m deeply sorry, Captain,” he began. 
“We just found out he followed us aboard.”

“No apologies necessary.”

Fogg took the familiar form of a tiny,
anthropomorphized flying saucer and issued from his glowing signboard, “Hello
Captain Ibarra.  I am Fogg.  This is my human Takeo Sato.”  He extended a tiny,
mechanical arm-like appendage toward her.

Zerki smiled somewhat and took his hand between
her thumb and index finger.  “Yes, we’ve met.”

Valerie furrowed her brow.  “How haven’t I sensed
you before now?”

“I did not wish to be sensed.”  Tiny lights
flashed along his underbelly, hypnotically in sequence.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” said Zerki. 
Glancing to Filan, she continued, “Right now, you’re both guests aboard my starship. 
Unfortunately, this isn’t a passenger liner, and everyone needs to earn their
keep around here.”  Regarding the flying saucer, she asked, “Fogg, will you fly
with me?  You can room with your human, and I will pay you a fair wage for as
long as you do.  You don’t need to decide now, but if you choose not to join my
crew, the next time we make berth, I’ll have to ask you to disembark.”

“Your offer of employment is accepted,” the AI
replied, and Zerki turned to Filan.

“How’s your shapeshiting?”

The byriani smirked.  “Not.  Like, at all.”  Her
inner circuits glowed briefly, and she raised her hands, wiggling her fingers. 
“But I’m extra conductive!”  With a downcast expression, she added, “And I can
personally run half a zettaflop.  Hard to believe it’s a birth defect, right?”

“That’s on par with most capital ships’ central
computers,” said Krane, and he quietly whistled.  “That’s nothing to be ashamed
of.”

Filan winked, both playfully and sadly.  “I’ll try
to remember that next time I’m on my home world, when they restrict me to the
visitors zone.”

Krane winced.  He mouthed, “Sorry.”

“Yeah, well, you didn’t know.”  She smiled.

“I think I can still use you,” Zerki continued. 
“I’ve been upgrading what I can, but the
Shadow
’s fiber is starting to
show its age.  If you really can run that much data, I’d be willing to pay you
for it.  I’ll make you a similar offer: will you fly with me?  You’ll have room
and board and a fair wage, for as long as you do.  You don’t need to decide
now, but—”

“Yes,” Filan interrupted, and she gazed for a
moment upon Takeo.  “My answer is yes.”

“Very good,” said Zerki, and her expectant gaze
befell her first mate.

Prompted, Valerie announced, “Right!  Quarters and
ranks.”  She looked at Takeo.  “First off, unless you’re in love with sharing
space with Taryn, I’m assigning you to E-033—Worral’s old cabin.  Filan, you’ll
be inheriting Molin’s quarters, which is right next door to Worral’s.  Takeo,
can you show Filan around when you get a chance?”

“Of course,” Takeo answered.

Valerie retrieved her tablet and scrolled through
the crew assignments.  “Filan, Fogg, I’m putting you both on security detail
with a rank of E-1.  If you’re interested, we have charts in the mess hall that
detail ratings, ranks and their pay grades.  D’Arro will train you as soon as
he’s able.  Filan, unless other duties take precedence, you’ll also be interfacing
with our computer during periods of tactical movement, including all
entanglement events.”  She glanced to the byriani.  “Do you know what an
entanglement event is?”

Filan beamed, paused, and shook her head.  “I
don’t.”

“Fancy words for space jumping,” Collins added.

“Oh, then yes.”  Filan’s grin returned.

“Good, then I think you’re all set.  Any
questions?”  Wearing a warm smile, Valerie crossed her arms and lowered her
tablet.

Filan drew an audible breath and answered, “No. 
Not right now.”

Fogg displayed, “Not at present.”

“Welcome to the crew,” Zerki concluded.  “You can
finish eating.”  She smiled to herself as she watched the three return to their
corner of the mess hall, where dining and bright conversation resumed.  Looking
to Gavin, she asked, “How soon can you be ready for another jump?”