The Last Argonaut, page 25
part #15 of Coalition Series
“Frex!” Zack slammed the receiver back onto the cradle then whirled away and rubbed his temples. It’s gotta be done, man. Nothing less than Deek’s life depends on it. Zack heaved a sigh and keyed in the code.
“Yes?” a female voice answered.
“It’s me,” Zack said sharply. “Put him on… now.”
A series of clicks filled the line while the call was transferred.
“Zack?” a male voice answered, clearly surprised. “Is that really you?”
“Yeah,” was all Zack would say.
An awkward pause.
“This is… unexpected,” the man said. “What are you doing in the Tretra system?”
“I didn’t call to catch up.” Zack detested his next words. “I called because I need your frexing help.”
* * *
The conversation lasted exactly three minutes. Who, what, when, and where? So far as Zack was concerned, that’s all the discussion needed to entail, and it did exactly that—no more, no less. The exchange finally ended with a curt “that’ll work” from Zack who promptly killed the channel then whirled for the nearby cantina that would undoubtedly serve him a much needed shot of Jothan table whiskey.
“How’d we do?” Zack asked once the group had reunited in the loading bay outside.
“Pretty well, all things considered.” King lowered a duffel bag off his shoulder to the ground. “The stuff we bought is close to top of the line, and I’d certainly hope so given what we paid for it.”
“Indeed,” Byorne said, holding a duffel of his own. “The weapons we purchased did command a lofty price, but I do believe they will serve us well in the battle that is to come.”
The trio looked up as Rev and Eldean approached, pushing a cart filled with boxes.
“How’d you guys do?” Zack asked.
“I think we managed to cover everything on your list,” Eldean said. “Who knew there were so many types of camouflage meant for desert wear?”
Rev acknowledged the other with a look then faced his coach. “How did things go with your call?”
Zack sighed. “It went.”
“So, does that mean these friends of yours are gonna help us?” King asked.
“They are, but they may be a little bit late,” Zack said. “Regardless, we can’t wait for them. We need to move out now before Vegah gets the itch to move Xatori to another location.”
Just then, two vehicles taxied up the drive toward the concourse. The first was a dumpy box-framed cargo hauler with enough scars and scorch marks to make one wonder if the vehicle had seen combat before. The other was an open-cage, two-passenger transport sled that reminded Zack of an old-fashioned dune buggy. Both were piloted by prithmars.
“I have a delivery for someone named Rev?” the hauler’s pilot shouted after parking the vehicle.
“That’d be me,” Rev answered.
The prithmar climbed out and trotted over, holding a slate. “Sign here, please.”
The rincah did as asked then returned the device to its owner.
“You may leave the hauler parked here at the platform no later than eleven-hundred hours tomorrow for pickup,” the prithmar said. “To be clear, you are responsible for any damages. Do you understand?”
Rev aimed a nervous look at Zack who answered, “Understood.”
“Excellent. That concludes our business.” The prithmar bowed his head and turned on his heels, tail swishing behind him, and trotted to the dune buggy where prithmar two waited at the steering yoke to whisk them from sight.
“Our chariot awaits,” Rev said anxiously once the aliens had gone.
The group scooped up their belongings and loaded them into the hauler, and King manned the driver’s seat. The Martian fired up the engine then eased the vehicle through starport traffic en route to the Outcast Boneyard, an operation that, according to Vegah’s associate, was less about salvage than it was about being a front for one of the local crime lords. Zack suspected the latter had ties to Vegah somehow, hence the kovachie’s decision to bring Xatori to Joth instead of another world.
An hour later, the top-heavy shape of a large mesa appeared in the blast shield.
“Our nav system says the boneyard is about a kilometer west of this position.” Zack pointed to the mesa. “Go ahead and pull us in behind those rocks at the foot of the formation. We’ll go on foot from here.”
The sun was starting to set as the group exited the hauler and began divvying up their weapons. Zack took an Axel-series short-framed assault rifle with a pinpoint laser sight and triple-celled charge magazine, which offered a thirty-percent increase in lifespan. King and Byorne brandished similar weapons, while Eldean produced a Luthor-series kinetic pistol, which he shoved into a hip holster.
“What do you have there, Rev?” King asked.
The rincah reached into his duffel and retrieved a palm-sized device that looked more like a miniature hair dryer than a firearm. A flash of blue sparked from the barrel when he tapped the trigger.
“A stun weapon? Really?” Eldean guffawed. “You do realize those are built almost exclusively for little old ladies to carry in their purses when they go to market, right?”
“The words ‘thou shalt not kill’ leap to mind,” Rev answered.
Eldean palmed his face. “That’s so not rad, man. It’s like, the total opposite and squat.”
Zack shoved a sidearm into a gun rig then fastened the belt around his waist and secured the leg strap around his right thigh. After that, he picked up his rifle, ejected the mag, checked the charge, then slapped the mag back into the butt of the gun with a hard thwack of his hand. Then he checked the slide, the action, and the sight.
“Okay, that’s it,” King said. “I’ve gotta ask. How the frex do you know how to do all this stuff?”
“What can I say?” Zack shrugged. “I grew up in the projects around Crystal City. You learn things.”
“Bull squat,” King said. “Back on the Mosley, you asked about my past because you said you deserved to know who you were walking into this fight with. Well, I hate to be a rumphole here, but frankly, we deserve the same courtesy.”
Zack stopped what he was doing and turned to find four expectant looks pelting him like laser fire. It was a fair point. He lowered his head. “Three years ago, an old guy in his late fifties boarded my boat posing as a prospective charter client and asked if I’d take him and two of his rincah pals out on a deep-sea fishing expedition. His credentials seemed as good as his credit, so I accepted the job. We got all the way out to Nickel Sound and were just about to put some lines in. That’s when my client calmly produced a laser pistol and proceeded to put three bolts apiece into his rincah colleagues.”
Eldean’s jaw fell open. “Holy frex!”
“Yeah, that was my response, too,” Zack said. “As it turned out, the client had other uses for me that evening besides renting my boat. So, we went on a little adventure after we dumped the bodies and returned to shore. By the end of that night, I was sitting in AC lockup with a caldivar smuggler to my left and a reeoli street dealer to my right, just happy to be alive. I took it upon myself to learn a few skills afterward in case I ever found myself in a similar situation.”
King tilted his head. “No offense, Coach, but skills are one thing. Assault weapons with sound suppressors and body armor? Kinda something else.”
“Everyone needs a hobby.” Zack scooped up his rifle. “Let’s move.”
The group followed their coach away from the mesa toward a tall pair of dunes to the west. From there, the group cut right around a particularly nasty looking sand pit then trudged along for about twenty minutes before settling in atop a third dune overlooking their destination.
“Now that’s what I call a boneyard,” King admitted.
At roughly eighty-square kilometers in diameter, the fenced in field was chockful of wrecked equipment, everything from a Squilla cruiser to several types of shuttles. There was even an old Tretrayon freighter off to the south that looked like it could still fly if it had to.
“If Vegah’s guy is right, and Deek is here,” King said, “he could be anywhere in this place.”
“Agreed.” Zack retrieved a set of goggles from his bag and put them to his face.
“What do you see?” Rev asked.
“Thankfully, not a lot,” Zack said. “Most of the activity down there seems to be automated. So far, I count three loader bots near that old krift sail barge plus another four working the burn pile out by that nilta skiff.”
Rev perked up. “That’s good news, isn’t it? Loader bots aren’t programmed to fight. So, if that’s all we’re dealing with then getting in and getting out with Deek should be a lot easier.”
“Don’t go celebrating just yet,” King said from behind goggles of his own.
“What you got?” Zack asked.
The Martian pointed forward. “It would appear that not everything inside is automated.”
Zack peered through his goggles past a burned out old dauricon freighter that effectively formed a sort of junk-style archway inside the main gate to an old wind tower in the southwest corner. “Frex.”
“What do you see?” Rev asked.
“Two rincah mercs manning lookout posts from the tower platform,” Zack said. “King, can you confirm that count?”
“Confirmed,” the Martian said. “I also count six more patrolling the area around that bi-level storehouse beside the Tretrayon freighter.”
“Do we think that’s where they’re hiding Deek?” Eldean asked.
“That’d certainly be my guess,” King said.
A visibly excited Byorne pulled his horns from the sheaths on his back. “Well then, lads, what are we waiting for? I say we march down there now and make these cretins pay for taking our brother from us.”
“Easy, big guy,” King said. “We’ve got eight guards on the ground, and you can bet there’s more inside that storehouse. Add in Vegah, who I’m sure is lurking around here somewhere, and that means we’re facing two-to-one odds in this thing, at least.”
Byorne’s grin widened. “Our quest is noble. Kravthor has decreed as much. I defy any being—rincah, kovachie, or otherwise—to stand in the way of that end.”
Zack lowered his goggles then returned them to his duffel.
“What are you doing?” King asked.
“Making sure Kravthor knows exactly what he’s up against.” Zack fished inside the bag and found the reconnaissance kit he’d purchased at the starport before regrouping with the others. It contained three primary components: an aerial drone, which was the size of a small bird, a handheld control pad, and a set of mirrored eyeglasses which displayed the drone’s data stream to the operator in real time.
Zack keyed the drone active then checked the transmission calibration to ensure all components were properly synchronized. Fly, little birdie. Fly. A soft, high-pitched whir sounded from the thruster ports as the craft went airborne.
“Tell me you bought the one with the thermal feature,” King said.
“Don’t leave home without it.” Zack watched through his lenses as the drone soared higher into the clouds then began relaying images from the ground. “Thus far, I don’t see any additional life signs outside the storehouse beyond the eight we already know of.”
“What about inside?” Byorne asked.
“We’ll know in a minute.” Zack toggled the controls in his left hand, causing the drone to swoop east and down. “Storehouse interior coming into view… now.”
Five more life signs flashed in Zack’s glasses. “Frex.”
“How bad?” King asked.
Zack slid off his glasses and took a breath. “Make that three-to-one odds instead of two.”
“Oh, that’s just wonderful.” Eldean palmed his face.
“What of your friends?” Rev asked. “You said they’ll be late. But how late?”
“Late enough that it might not matter,” Zack said.
“How come?” King asked.
“Vegah has an armored transport docked in the yard over by the storehouse,” Zack said. “We can’t know if that’s meant for Deek or something else. If it is for Deek, and we lose him, we’ll never have a chance of getting him back. Not alive at least.”
“This changes nothing,” Byorne said. “I told you. We shall be victorious. Kravthor has decreed it!”
King put a hand on his coach’s shoulder. “Can I have a word with you? In private?”
Zack slid back behind the dune summit and followed the Martian off to one side.
“I don’t care what kind of training you’ve had. The fact is, none of these guys have had any,” King said. “It was one thing to bring them here for a simple snatch and grab op to get Deek back from a bully. This is way beyond that now.” He pointed to the others. “If you try to take them into a live-fire assault situation, you can rest assured, somebody is gonna get hurt or worse.”
Zack chewed his lip. “They may not have field experience, but this can still happen.”
“How?” King asked.
“By leveraging the skills they do have.” A strategy formed in Zack’s mind as he rejoined the others. “New plan. Byorne, you’re with me and King on the extraction team. Rev, you’re gonna help Eldean.”
“What am I doing?” the pikith asked.
“What you do best.” Zack smiled. “Run your mouth.”
* * * * *
Chapter 27: Breakout
Dusk had fallen squarely on the Jothan desert by the time Zack finished explaining his plan to the others. No one was wild about it. However, given the circumstances, combined with the numbers they were facing at the boneyard, nobody had any better ideas.
“Everyone good on your assignments?” Zack asked after the group had returned to the hauler.
The others nodded.
“Are you sure we’ll all three be able to fit under that thing?” King pointed to the hauler’s undercarriage.
“It’ll be tight, but I think we can make it work,” Zack said. “The important thing to remember is the drop time. And when is that again?”
“After the hauler passes under the dauricon freighter hull,” Byorne said.
“Exactly,” Zack said. “Be ready to roll hard as soon as you drop then take cover under the freighter. We’ll move from there after Vegah’s troops reorient to cover Rev and Eldean. Once we’re inside the storehouse, I’m on point. That means no verbal communication. Hand signals only. Understood?”
The group nodded again.
“Good.” Zack turned to Rev and Eldean. “Don’t try to be heroes in there, okay? You’re scrap buyers. That’s it. Get in, discuss terms, then get out and wait for my signal back here at the mesa to scoop us up once we have Xatori.”
“We’ll be ready,” Rev said. “Although I don’t like the idea of the three of you going in alone. We should be with you to help.”
“You can help us by drawing as many of those guards to your position as possible while King, Byorne, and I cross the property toward the storehouse,” Zack said. “Remember, I’ll have you on open comms the whole time. If you see something that impacts the mission, find a way to say it aloud. We’ll be listening.”
With his speech complete, Zack reached into the hauler and came back with a jacket, gloves, and a balaclava to keep his face warm as the night temperatures took over. The others followed suit.
“Good luck,” Rev said.
“Same to you.” Zack pulled his mask down then dropped to his belly and climbed under the cargo hauler. After that, he fastened himself to the vehicle’s undercarriage using some of the securing straps that had come with the craft. Byorne did the same, then so did King. Zack keyed his comm after everyone signaled they were ready. “We’re good, Rev. Let’s move out.”
The rincah fired the hauler’s engine then eased the vehicle away from the mesa rocks. From there, it was all the way down the next dune and right around the bend toward the boneyard.
“Coming in!” someone shouted ahead.
One of the tower guards, most likely. Zack listened from his hanging perch under the vehicle as the hauler eased to a stop outside the main gate.
“What is your business here?” someone asked. This time, the voice belonged to a rincah female.
“Gee whiz golly, I don’t know.” Eldean snorted. “To buy parts, maybe? I mean, last I heard, this is a frexing boneyard is it not?”
“We’re closed,” the female said.
“That’s not what Jimmy said,” Eldean replied. “Jimmy said you’re open around the clock. I squat you not. He told me himself.”
“Who the frost is Jimmy?” the female asked.
“You know, Jimmy,” Eldean said. “From the starport? That weird looking Jothan guy with the green spikey hair, the funny accent, and the limp he got during the war? He’s the one who recommended that we come here. Great guy, by the way. A little on the creepy side if you ask me, but hey. To each his own, yo?”
No response.
“You know… Jimmy?” Eldean concluded.
“I don’t know this Jimmy person,” the female declared, anger creeping into her voice. “I’ll say it again. We’re closed. Now turn that hauler around and go back to where you came from.”
“You really don’t want us to do that,” Eldean said.
“Why not?” the female asked.
“Because then you’ll never hear our super rad offer.”
The sound of a hatch creaking open preceded the sight of Eldean’s boots hitting the ground to Zack’s right. Be cool, man.
“Get back into your vehicle,” the female ordered.
“Trust me, peaches, you really don’t want me to do that,” Eldean answered. “I wanna speak to the being in charge. Like, the big boss man. The grand poo bah or whatever.”
“That’s none of your concern,” the women stated. “I told you. We’re closed.”
