Galactic Law, page 17
part #1 of Galactic Law Series
“Don’t they know the station is under attack?” I asked.
“They’ll party until they have to fight. Come on. This is the quickest way to the command deck.”
Haley led the way down the middle of the room. A big man caught sight of her and stood from his bench. “Hey, Haley,” he called, raising a beer. “What are you doing? Get over here.”
“I’m busy, Red.”
“Who’s your friend there? Why are you wearing a helmet?”
Haley gave Red an exasperated look. “The station is under attack, if you didn’t notice.”
Red finished his beer and released a loud burp. “The station’s always under attack. What’s different this time?”
“It’s the Sheriff from Taurus Station.”
Red winked at Haley. “If we’re going to die, you and me should go find some place private.”
The tall woman shook her head, braids swinging. She leveled an angry gaze on the big man. I looked around, worried that more ravagers were starting to notice the exchange.
“You want to be alone so I can crush your balls—again?”
Red blinked as he calculated his chances between sex or pain, then turned his focus on me.
“We’re under attack,” Haley repeated. She turned away and Red caught her arm. Haley hit the big man once under the chin and he flung his free hand up in defense, losing his mug. Spraying beer, the heavy mug arced through the air and hit another bandit in the back of the head. After that, I couldn’t track the steps between the mug, the shouting, and a table getting flipped, but in just a few seconds, the fest hall had become a massive brawl.
Haley slammed Red against a table, freeing herself, then elbowed another man who tried to grab her from behind. I punched a ravager who swung randomly at me, and then twisted out of the grip of a fat man who grabbed my helmet from behind.
“Which way?” I shouted at Haley.
“The far side. The way we were going.”
The central path between the tables was clogged with bodies in seconds. I jumped on top of a table and ran across tabletops to reach the far side of the hall. I was searching for Haley in the brawl when a crackling sound filled the far end of the hall where we had entered. Several of the closest bandits howled and went stiff with spasms.
In black uniforms and armed with shock weapons, deputies from Tactical advanced into the hall. They filed along the back wall, hitting the closest hostiles as they kicked over tables to provide cover. The music hid the initial sounds of attack, and ravagers continued to fight each other as Tactical advanced through the fest hall. By the time the bandits realized they were under attack, the deputies had already seized a quarter of the hall.
I watched as Red turned in the middle of lifting a smaller man and took a shock round in the middle of his chest. He vibrated, holding the smaller bandit over his head, then toppled like a tree. They hit the floor together.
I tried the local comms net again and finally got a response.
“Who is this?” came the curt reply.
“Deputy Gage Walker. I’ve been told the hostages are in the area of the command deck.”
I sent my location info, as well as Keldon’s in the shuttle.
“Look,” the Tactical Commander said. “You need to get your head down and stay safe. We’re in heavy fighting everywhere. Once things quiet down, we’ll send someone for you. I’ll get Keldon as soon as I can spare the medic.”
“I’m headed for the command deck,” I said.
“Negative. You need to fall back and let the breach teams do their jobs. You’re in the middle of the hot zone.”
“Your teams are fighting through a small army and I’m on the other side,” I said. If I waited any longer, I wasn’t going to reach Kiren in time. “I’m going.”
They had me on their stat maps now. That was the best I could do.
Haley was caught up in the fighting and I couldn’t wait for her. I pulled up the station schematic again and ran for the command area. If Haley’s information was correct, I should find the old executive suites on the level just above the fest hall.
Leaving the fight behind, I entered a series of small corridors and then climbed a set of stairs to find the old admin area. Stolen goods filled the space. Racks of clothing, packaged delicacies, jewelry, weapons and ammunition, and even a cage full of winged creatures who screeched a chorus of, “Hey! Screw you!” as I jogged past.
The Tactical comms net was coordinating several attacks from the outside but had been bogged down by a drone fleet that no one had expected. Apparently the Sheriff hadn’t waited for Union support, so they lacked heavy weaponry or overwatch to defend the breach teams working on the station’s outer surface. Despite the madness in the fest hall, the gang was proving a determined and organized enemy.
I ran past several small groups setting up choke points and defensive positions in the wider hallways. A few glanced at me, noted my civilian attire, and continued their work. I didn’t hang around to give them time to question me, though I did send live feed from my helmet to Tactical. No one acknowledged receipt of the data.
Passing through a hatch that should have put me in the executive suite area, I nearly collided with Haley when she appeared from my left.
“There you are,” she said brightly, catching me in a rib-crushing hug. She was bleeding from a cut on her temple. “You came the long way. Why didn’t you wait for me?”
Blood from her cheek smeared on my faceplate, forcing me to pull the helmet off and try to wipe it clean.
“I was worried I wasn’t going to get there in time,” I said. “Are we close?”
Haley tugged on her braids. “You’re all sweaty, Deputy.”
“I’ve been running this whole way.”
“You aren’t wearing a uniform under that crappy shipsuit, are you?”
“No. Why?”
“No reason,” she said, giving me an intense look.
I pulled the helmet back on, which earned me a complaint from Haley, and checked my HUD. Still no response from Tactical on the data I’d sent. Updated combat positions showed that Tactical hadn’t made it out of the fest hall yet, while small unit skirmishes had tied up most of the breach teams on the outer edges of the station.
In short, Tactical was getting their ass kicked.
Haley waved for me to follow and led the way down several maintenance pathways that ended on a main corridor she said led to the command section.
“We’ll need to pass by Kallaver’s office, but we’ll stay out of sight.”
When we eventually passed a hatch wide enough to allow a cruiser through, I stopped and stared in surprise. The command section was similar to most operations centers I’d seen in training, with workstations and a central holomap of the station. A short man with a pointy beard and a gold sash stalked the deck in front of the map, shouting orders at people I couldn’t see.
“That’s Kallaver,” Haley said, tugging at my hand. “It’s better if he doesn’t see us.”
What surprised me was the sight of Franca and Trix standing on either side of the excited leader. After the shot they’d taken, I didn’t think they’d be up and about. Franca, the tough woman, wore a shipsuit with a pistol hanging at her hip, her black hair slicked back. Trix leaned against a console, balancing a long knife by its tip on her index finger.
Something didn’t ring true here. Had everything at Ronny’s been a ruse?
“We need to keep going,” Haley insisted.
Well, this complicates things.
I followed Haley, the image of the two traitors burned in my memory. A story was developing in my mind of a father who didn’t like that his daughter outshined him, so he contrived to ruin her business merger marriage with a kidnapping conducted by a ravager gang and the betrayal of her two friends. After an event like this, James could easily push Kiren out of the business for her safety, or some other useful excuse.
I was chewing this new theory when Haley announced, “Here we are.”
She slapped the security panel on a set of double doors, which slid open to show a broad apartment where Clark and Kiren were rolling on the floor. Kiren was currently underneath Clark, thumbs digging into the ravager’s eye sockets as he choked her with both hands.
Kiren was naked.
23
I drew my pistol and aimed at the back of Clark’s head. I was about to squeeze the trigger when Kiren rolled again, placing herself on top so she could slam the wiry man’s head against the deck, thumbs digging deeper into his eyes.
“Kiren,” I shouted. “Move!”
She glanced at me, raising one hand to motion for me to stop. “Who are you?” she said. “I’m busy. Keep walking or you’re next.”
I holstered my pistol long enough to yank off my helmet and throw it on the floor. “You sure about that?”
She grunted.
Drawing the weapon again, I walked forward so Clark could see me, too. His free eye blinked and rotated my direction. His mouth dropped open a bit as he recognized me, but he didn’t bother to talk, only trying harder to choke Kiren.
Kiren shoved her free thumb in Clark’s eye and continued pounding his head into the floor.
“Take your hands off his head,” I ordered.
Kiren didn’t listen. She slammed Clark’s pale head into the floor until his hands fell from her neck and he lay spread-eagled under her, unconscious. A line of blood leaked from his mouth.
Kiren narrowed her eyes, waiting. When she seemed satisfied that Clark was out, she straightened, stretching her neck, then raised her hands to tuck her red hair behind her ears. She stood and stepped over Clark to face me.
“You are the last person I thought I’d see here,” she commented.
She put her hands on her hips, apparently not bothered in the slightest by her state of undress.
“Hello to you, too,” I said, holstering my pistol. “Did you lose your clothes somewhere?”
Kiren jabbed Clark with her foot. “I was finally able to take a shower, and this one thought he could take advantage of me. He learned different.”
“He’s scum,” Haley agreed.
Kiren raised an eyebrow to the blond woman. “I don’t know you, but I can see you’re my people. Are you a cop, too?”
Haley laughed. “They wish I was. Do you want some clothes? You’re too skinny to be running around without insulation.”
Kiren glanced at me. “You know, Deputy, you can look at me. I’m not ashamed.”
I cleared my throat. “The station’s under attack by the sheriff. We need to get out of here before the place blows. First though, why are Franca and Trix in the command section with Kallaver?”
Kiren gave a sardonic laugh. “I’m not going anywhere until those bitches are dead. My things are over there.” She walked to the bathroom and reappeared with a pile of clothes, then she dropped them on the couch.
I retrieved my helmet as Kiren dressed. “Were Franca and Trix working for the gang this whole time?”
“I’ve never seen them before,” Haley said.
“Who’s she again?” Kiren asked.
“I’m Kallaver’s communications officer.”
“She’s helping me,” I said.
Kiren studied Haley for a second, then shrugged. “I don’t know. Even if they’re taking advantage of a bad situation, they haven’t done anything to try and get us out of here.”
“What did Clark tell you?” I asked.
“He meant what he said when he killed Ronny, then he shifted just like criminals do. He got quite the surprise when Kallaver didn’t let him call my dad.”
“Why didn’t he let him?”
“Kallaver probably wants to run the job himself. You think he’d let a screw-up like Clark manage my ransom?”
The lights flickered and went dark. Emergency lighting switched on in the apartment and the corridor outside.
“They must be going after the power,” I said. “We need to get out of here.”
“There’s a launch bay ten levels below command,” Haley said. “We have to go back by there, though. And I don’t know if there are actually any ships in there.”
“We’ll have to find out,” I said.
I pulled my helmet back on and checked the station schematic, verifying what Haley had just said. There was also an alert from Tactical Command. Someone had finally noticed my data feed.
“Deputy Walker, this is Sergeant Mendos. Where the hell are you? Your feed cut out. It looks like you’ve secured the victim?”
I jumped on the channel. “Sergeant Mendos, I’ve got her. We’re looking for a ship to get the hell out of here.”
“I’ve got your location,” Mendos said. “But I’ll be honest, we’re bogged down fighting. Our people aren’t equipped for this kind of attack.”
“I’m headed for a shuttle bay ten levels below my location,” I said. “I don’t have confirmation of any vehicles, though. If we get down there, do you have anything that can pick us up?”
“You reach that bay with Kiren Carthage and I’ll pick you up myself. It’s going to be hot. They’ve got a fleet of drone fighters harassing our support ships. Get in there and we’ll figure out the rest.”
“We’ll do it. Sergeant, do you have a status on Keldon? I left him in stasis and sent a location beacon.”
“Hold on.”
I waited as the line went quiet.
“We should go,” Kiren said. “What are you waiting for?”
I nodded. There was no reason we couldn’t move while I waited on the info. Then Mendos came back. “We’ve got him. He’s with Medical now. I think the last word was that he needed to be evacuated immediately and they were working on that, but there are a lot more wounded than we anticipated. We’ll get him out of here with the others as soon as we can.”
Relief surged through me at the news. “Thank you.”
“Thank me when we’re all back at Drake’s,” Mendos said. “Keep me updated on your progress to that shuttle bay.”
I looked up to find Kiren staring at me. “I can’t see your face when you’re wearing that thing,” she said. “What did they tell you?”
I opened my face shield. “Tactical is getting their asses kicked.”
Haley laughed. “We knew that. Don’t mess with the Factory!”
Kiren gave her a quizzical glance. “Why are you helping us, anyway?”
The tall woman shrugged. “I work in the comms section. All day I listen to jerks like Clark talk their crap. I thought it sounded like fun to ruin his plans.”
“How did you end up here?” Kiren probed.
Haley flipped her braids. “That’s a long story. Maybe later.”
I was ready to leave, but first I considered Kiren’s outfit and the fact that she was still wearing her party gear. “We need to get you in some different clothes. You’re going to stand out too much in that.”
“Anybody sitting on a wardrobe?”
“You need a shipsuit, anyway.” I glanced at Clark on the floor. “His will be big, but I don’t see any other options.”
“Allow me,” Haley said.
“Gross, but all right,” Kiren told her.
The two women pulled Clark out of his suit, not going easy on him. They dumped him face down on the floor in his dirty underwear.
Kiren wrinkled her nose at the suit. “It looks serviceable at least. Let’s try not to test it out.” She quickly pulled the suit on over her clothes and adjusted various straps for a better fit.
I motioned to Haley. “Lead the way.”
Haley followed the same path we had taken to reach the executive suites, which I realized would take us back to the main lifts. We walked like we had a purpose and barely got second glances from anyone we passed.
When we reached the command section, however, Kiren caught sight of Franca standing beside Kallaver and made a sharp right turn toward the entrance.
“Kiren,” I said sharply. “What are you doing?”
“What I told you I was going to do.” Fists clenched, she walked directly into the command center.
I slammed my face shield closed and set the HUD to track every person in the room. The count came back at seven. Most were sitting at workstations, with Trix, Franca, and Kallaver in the middle of the room.
“You traitors,” Kiren said loudly. Workers around the room turned to look at her.
I stood in the doorway, hand on my pistol without drawing it yet. Haley pushed past me to follow Kiren, obviously excited about the situation.
Kallaver turned from the holo and stared at Kiren. Though he was a small, round man, his face was sharp with an intelligent cruelty. He didn’t look like the type to hesitate on anything.
“Where’s Clark?” he demanded.
“Don’t worry about Clark,” Kiren said. “I’m right here.” She hit Kallaver with a hard, upward strike to the chin and he stumbled into the holo projection.
I kept my eye on Franca and Trix but they hadn’t moved.
Franca crossed her arms and chuckled as Kallaver struggled in the glowing image. “Took you long enough, Kiren.”
“Are you working with these people?” Kiren demanded.
“I work for myself,” Franca said. She glanced at Trix. “I don’t know about her, though.”
Trix shrugged. “This is a lot more fun than following you around.”
Kiren shook her head, looking between them. “You were the two people I actually thought I could trust.”
The holo stuttered and flashed out as Kallaver kicked its base unit and climbed back onto the viewing platform. He approached Kiren with his teeth bared.
“You just wasted your one shot at taking me out.” He pulled his fist back.
I drew my pistol. Before I could level on Kallaver, Kiren hit him again. Kallaver shouted in pain and protected his face with his hands, then he wiped blood from his nose and glared at Kiren.
“You’re the worst person I’ve ever kidnapped.” He waved at Franca. “Take her down. The money isn’t worth this.”
“Who hired you?” Kiren demanded.
