Frontier's Shadow: A Space Opera Adventure (Frontiers Book 3), page 21
Kione grabbed Lahtala by the arm. “Tell them to stop firing, it’s the Argo!”
But it was too late.
Gunfire launched from across the road and pierced the night sky like a flaming arrow.
Fifty
Jason quivered with fear at the sight of the Argo disappearing in the light of the anti-craft fire. When the glow dispersed, he unshielded his eyes.
No…
My ship…
My home…
Gone?
“Look!” Aly cried.
Out of the darkness, the nimble old bucket of bolts appeared as large as the night itself. Its starboard side was scorched, but she was still in one piece. It fired its ventral thrusters and approached their position.
The Huugli gunfire ceased, and the cargo ship hovered above them. But the ground rocked, and a weapon blast struck its stern, leaving a healthy indentation near the rear entry ramp.
Jason stared at Lahtala with an accusatory glare, but it wasn’t the Huugli forces who’d hit them. Down the opposite end of the road, a Tadrosian counterattack neared. Five hover tanks and at least a hundred troops pressed toward them.
The lead tank fired again, barely missing the Argo.
Lahtala’s subordinate got on the radio and called for help, while everyone else hurried back to the habitat’s entrance to take cover.
When the Huugli reinforcements arrived, the cargo ship moved to safety, away from the crossfire. On the other side of the habitat, the old girl landed and extended her ramp.
“Aly, get out of here now!” Jason ordered her, looking at Kevin knowingly.
Jason army-rolled to Kione, holed up with Lahtala and a small group of Huugli, who were concentrating on the battle before them, exchanging fire with their Tadrosian counterparts.
“Kione!”
His alien comrade glanced at the Argo nearby. “It’s time for you to leave, Jason.”
“You can still come,” he pleaded with his friend.
A thin smile rose on Kione’s face. “You don’t know how to let go.”
How right you are…
“Leave, now!” Kione told him. “Go get your brother!”
“You’re too damned honorable, my friend.” Jason admired the loyalty, but he’d seen too many killed it in the past.
Kione shrugged as more artillery bombed their position and kicked up the dust beneath their feet.
“Please forgive me for this,” Jason told him.
Kione furrowed his brow, and Kevin appeared from behind, knocking him in the back of the head with a right hook. The alien fell into Jason’s arms, and he and Kevin dragged him away, leaving the Huugli to continue waging their battle none the wiser.
Once they were up the Argo’s rear entry ramp Jason punched in the intercom panel beside the door. “Althaus, get us the hell out of here!”
Cargo Ship Argo
Jason entered the bridge and walked toward the captain’s chair.
“We’ve had no further resistance.” Althaus relinquished the seat and took his post at the systems station.
“No, I didn’t expect there would be.” Jason nodded, noticing Marissa at operations. “They’re too busy fighting one another down there.”
The Argo rumbled through the upper atmosphere and out into open space. Valkeris Station appeared ahead of them, and beyond that the trans-space gateway.
Jason eyed the viewport curiously. “There’s no welcoming party. What are the Tadrosians playing at?”
“I’m picking up three incoming bogeys from astern!” Althaus bellowed.
That’s what they’re playing at…
Jason stepped toward the helm and put his hand on the back of Tai’s chair. “Best speed to the gateway, Doctor.”
She nodded, and he approached Marissa. They shared a glance with each other, and he reached over her to open a commlink.
But she beat him to it, pressing the green button in front of her.
He winked at her, impressed. “This is Jason Cassidy of the Cargo Ship Argo to the Gateway Control.”
“Cassidy, it appears you’ve got yourself in trouble with the local authorities.”
Jason immediately recognized the voice of Superintendent Walesk, the gruff Company liaison he’d made a deal with to use the gateway.
“The Tadrosian ships are gaining on us,” Althaus told him.
“I assure you,” Jason continued, “we were only rescuing members of my crew who shouldn’t have been on Tadrosia in the first place. I would appreciate access to the gateway as per our arrangement.”
“Unfortunately, you’re scheduled window elapsed two hours ago.”
“Surely you can make an exception in this case.”
“If I were to do so, I’d be contravening Tadrosian law by allowing you to escape punishment. The Company stands for justice above all else.”
“That’s pretty rich considering the agreement you’ve brokered with them.” Jason scowled. “You can’t tell me you don’t know what’s going on down there.”
Walesk didn’t reply.
His uncle turned to him. “The Tadrosians will be within weapons range in one minute.”
Jason checked to make sure the commlink was still active. “And besides, we made a deal,” he told Walesk. “If you don’t allow us through the gateway, I guarantee I’ll delete every computer bank on this ship before the Tadrosians incarcerate us. You won’t have any of the information I agreed to give you.”
“Thirty seconds,” Althaus chimed in.
Come on, dammit!
At the center of the revolving donut that was the trans-space gateway, a small wisp of energy emerged from nothingness, followed by another and then another. The purple and red tendrils took shape, and a monstrous vortex appeared.
“Doctor, take us straight through the heart of that thing. Everyone strap yourselves in.” He tapped in one final key on the operations console to send the data he’d promised to Walesk and followed his own advice, buckling himself into the captain’s chair.
He gave himself a moment to smile before he blacked out.
“Rise and shine.”
Jason opened his eyes to the sound of Aly’s voice. For a change he was the last one on the bridge to regain consciousness. “Where are we?” he asked.
“Right where we’re supposed to be,” Althaus said, indicating the abandoned Alliance outpost floating ahead of them.
Jason unclasped his harness and walked to the viewport. He pressed his hand against it, as if reaching out for his brother. “That means we’re four light-years away from GP-34.”
“Four light-years from Tyler,” Aly added.
“And Nicolas,” Tai said.
Jason removed his hand from the viewport and returned to his seat. “Aly, get started on any repairs you need to do. Once they’re done, I want to punch the FTL engines to maximum.”
She smiled and rushed off while everyone returned to their stations. Jason fell into his chair as if the weight of the world had been lifted. But he didn’t feel like celebrating just yet.
There’s still so much to do.
Fifty-One
Kione stared through the viewport from the rec room at space whizzing by. All the repairs to the Argo had been completed, and the small cargo ship was on its way to GP-34. Even though Tadrosia was now many light-years behind him, he couldn’t forget about the plight of the Huugli and what their future might hold.
“Is it safe to come in?”
He swiveled toward the door where Jason appeared, stepping over the threshold. His human friend pulled up a seat across from him at the chess table. “How’s that lump on the back of your head?”
Kione touched the bruise. “It’s fine. Doctor Tai tells me there’s no permanent damage.”
“You wouldn’t think it, but Kevin can really pack a punch when he wants to.” Jason smirked, but the smile quickly disappeared. “You would’ve stayed with the Huugli, wouldn’t you?”
“That was the promise I made.”
“To save our lives…”
“I said I’d—”
“You’d do everything in your power to ensure the success of this mission.” Jason picked up a white knight and twirled it between his fingers. “Thank you.”
Kione smiled.
“You understand why I did what I did, don’t you?” Jason placed the piece down. “I hope that’s something you won’t have to grapple with. I know how you tend to overthink this kind of stuff.”
“While I don’t believe I was their messiah, it’s hard not to feel as if I’ve forsaken them.” Kione stared at the board. “With that said, I wouldn’t have wanted to spend the rest of my days on Tadrosia. There are still too many things I need to do.”
Jason steepled his fingers. “I’ve been thinking a lot about what happened down there, and from what I could see, you just being there for one day may have led them to the salvation they’ve sought for so long.”
Kione furrowed his brow. “What do you mean?”
“The Tadrosians have subjugated the Huugli for centuries, and in all that time they’d laid down and taken it. On Earth, how many suppressed groups had to fight for their rights?”
Kione was well-versed in history, and Jason was right. “You’re saying me being there was the symbol they needed to finally revolt?”
“Deep down, the will to fight was always there. Why else would they have stockpiled those weapons for so long? You mightn’t be their messiah, but you may have helped start a revolution.”
“If that’s the case, I fear I’ve condemned an entire race to its destruction.”
“I wouldn’t be so sure of that.” Jason gazed from the viewport, seemingly hypnotized by the stars. “The Company depends on the lurilius-ze that comes from the planet. They won’t allow their operations to grind to a halt. The Tadrosians will have no choice but to give the Huugli the rights they deserve.”
“Not to mention if the Tadrosians exterminated the Huugli, they’d be destroying their last chance of saving their own civilization.”
Both darted their eyes to the hatchway where Doctor Tai moved inside the rec room with a new mobility chair Aly had put together for her. She’d briefed everyone on the procreation crisis taking place on the orbiting space stations, but Kione still wasn’t convinced.
“Yes, but this rebellion will not make the taboo nature of interbreeding any less taboo,” he said.
“It’s that or die.”
Another visitor arrived at the door. “Jason, can we speak?” Marissa asked.
Jason shrugged. “Sure.”
The pair departed and left Kione and Tai on their own.
The doctor pointed to the table. “How about a game of chess?”
“Why not?” he said.
Jason stepped into Marissa’s quarters and glanced at her suspiciously. She closed the door behind them and sat on the edge of her bed.
“Come here.” She ushered him beside her, and he sat.
“What’s this all about?” he asked, realizing she obviously needed to get something off her chest.
Marissa took a deep breath. “Remember when we left Scorpius? I was in the infirmary for a few days during my recovery.”
“Of course.”
“Well, Doctor Tai discovered something.”
Jason raised an eyebrow. “What was it?”
She took his hand and wrapped it in her own. “I’m pregnant, Jason.”
Everything around him seemed to slow. His head went numb, and the feeling in his limbs dulled.
“Uh, that’s, uh… Congratulations. I wish there was a way we could send a commlink home. I’m sure Marcus would be overjoyed.”
Perhaps they’ll get back together…
“It’s not Marcus’s child.”
Jason craned his neck toward her. “What are you saying?”
She clutched his hand even tighter and placed it on her stomach. “This is our baby, Jason.”
Jason didn’t know what to say. Everything he’d done on this mission had the sole purpose of bringing his brother home. Now he had another reason to complete it and return to Earth.
“Well?” she said.
“I, uh… It’s great to know the Cassidy line will continue. My father would be delighted.” He smiled. “And, uh I am too…”
Marissa stood and walked to the panel beside the door. She sealed it shut and turned off the light.
Book Four of the Frontiers Series is Coming Soon
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Robert C. James, Frontier's Shadow: A Space Opera Adventure (Frontiers Book 3)
