Hunter Killer: Legacy Earth 7, page 8
Lance’s suit tightened around his lower body, squeezing his legs to prevent him from blacking out as he continued to accelerate.
“How are you guys doing back there?” Lance asked.
“Calnar are highly resistant to g-forces,” Shi-fan replied. “We can handle whatever this craft can deal to us.”
“Copy that,” Lance replied. “How about you, Matt?”
“I may need to change my pants after this, sir. Keep going!” the sniper shouted.
“Copy that. Justin, requesting a buzz of the tower,” Lance called out.
“If you’re going to be flying that fast, are you sure that’s a good idea?” Justin asked.
“I think that was a warning, not a request,” Mattias shouted from the back of the ship.
Lance took several deep breaths. Clenching his fist, he pushed his arm further forward as the craft accelerated even faster. As he did, he felt his weight increase exponentially. Mach seven. Even in his armor with oxygen being pumped to him, the captain felt like twenty of him sat on his chest. Mach nine. The windscreen of the ship started to flicker with orange light as the thermal readings on the craft increased. Mach ten.
Lance looked at his mini map. The Gladius was directly ahead of them a few thousand miles. Mach eleven. The corners of his vision started to darken as he pushed the ship even faster. The tightening in his legs became painful, the adrenaline surge dulled the pain. Mach twelve point five.
He shot over the Gladius before starting to slow down. Before he reached a speed that was safe to turn, Justin crackled over the radio.
“WHAT WAS THAT?!” he shouted. “How many feet above us were you?”
“About eighty thousand,” Lance replied. “How are you guys down there?”
“Even from inside the Gladius, my ears are ringing,” Justin countered.
“Did you pick us up on anything?” Lance asked with a chuckle as he turned the ship.
“Only our ears,” Justin replied.
“Then, Shi-fan, I think she’ll do just fine!” the captain called back.
11
PACK UP
Lance gingerly set the Whisper down next to the Gladius, at the instructions of the ship’s computer. As they touched the landing platform, the ship fell silent as its engines cut off. A groaning creaked over the hull as the expanded plates shifted back to their original sizes. Restraints were retracted and the legs of his suit loosened, allowing him to stand up.
As he exited the cockpit, Shi-fan was already on his feet and opening the ship’s door. He flashed as much of a smile as his species could before nodding toward the landing platform outside. Lance retracted his helmet as he made his way out of the craft.
“What other functions does the ship have that can assist in combat roles?” Lance asked, turning around as he stepped away from the craft.
“It has seeking and non-seeking weapons,” Shi-fan replied. “And if you need to do a troop drop, the seats we were in can drop away given the pilot and the person in the seat confirm it needs to happen.”
“It’s like you built this with us in mind,” Mattias chimed in as the rest exited the craft.
“If our experience with Mundur has taught us anything, it’s that just because one wishes to abstain from violence, doesn’t mean violence can’t be thrust upon them,” Shi-fan replied as he motioned toward Lance. “We’ve decided to increase our offensive capabilities, and that means arming allies, should that be needed.”
“You were pacifists?” the sniper asked.
“We were, as well as isolationists, making us prime targets for a more powerful and aggressive race. That will never happen again, and as new emperor of this sector, I will ensure that none of them will suffer the same fate,” the Calnar explained.
“You’re emperor now?” Lance asked as Stephanie exited the building with a large box full of electronics.
“Trade, agriculture, even finances were routed through this planet and infrastructure built for this sector centers here. Being Mundur’s emissary, I learned how he managed everything, so I was able to take over his role, with less of a sadistic twist,” Shi-fan explained. “If you see him again, tell him the Calnar send their regards.”
“Do you always pay your debts as well?” Dexter asked as they walked past Lance’s group.
“Thank you,” the captain said, offering his hand to Shi-fan. “Once we’re done with this mission, if you ever need help with anything, let us know.”
“Of course, and if the heroes of Hrafn squad ever need help, you can always call on sector two, eight, one, four,” Shi-fan replied as he gave Lance’s hand a firm shake.
“I appreciate that. Steph, how long until your computer is up and running?” Lance asked as she walked past them.
“I have to build it from scratch. It’ll be a while,” she replied.
“Okay, use whoever you need to get it done as quickly as possible,” Lance ordered.
“I can help,” Dexter volunteered as they continued toward the Gladius.
“You’re a hammer. I need scalpels,” Stephanie countered. “You’re more likely to accidentally break the thing into a thousand pieces.”
Lance looked at Mattias; he then nodded toward the rest of the team.
“Why don’t you go assist her real quick,” he suggested.
“Yes, sir,” Mattias replied before turning and following the engineer.
“Dexter, why don’t you help the Calnar break down the Svikari fighter,” Lance suggested. “You can be a hammer over there.”
“Copy that, sir,” Dexter said before jogging toward the building.
As he disappeared into the structure, Lance turned back toward Shi-fan.
“The Tamomi is a highly toxic planet,” the captain said as he looked out over the life-filled world stretching out around them. “The Tauren are having trouble growing crops because the sulfuric buildup in their soil keeps killing everything. I’m sure they could use some assistance terraforming their planet to be a little more hospitable.”
“Are you suggesting I approach Lau Tu with our technology?” Shi-fan asked.
“I wouldn’t have brought it up otherwise,” Lance replied, stepping away from the guards.
“Terraforming a planet like Tamomi will draw the attention of every government in the galaxy,” the new emperor said, following the captain. “It’ll be hard to hide the secret when a hostile world becomes significantly less so.”
“Maybe, but they have highly advanced technology buried deep out of the toxic atmosphere. You don’t have to give them your plans directly, but you could have your scientists meet with theirs and help them develop their own version of the machine.”
“Do you even know how it works?” Shi-fan asked.
“I’m a soldier, not a scientist. My knowledge of terraforming is limited to what an old friend passed down to me and it was planet-specific… That planet also happened to be dead.”
“And how did it work?”
“Well, we ultimately decided to nuke the ice caps to get both liquid water flowing and generating an atmosphere and ozone layer,” Lance started. “But that was in sync with us kickstarting the planet’s mantle and core so that a geomagnetic field would protect the planet from getting its atmosphere ripped away again. But yes, it worked. It’s where I was originally stationed.”
“That is a very archaic take on terraforming. This technology is much more elegant.”
“And imagine how much easier you can make the Tauren lives by helping them develop it themselves.”
“They are built for that world. That atmosphere, the toxicity; any changes may kill them.”
“Which is why I’m suggesting you work with them and not just lend them yours.”
Shi-fan’s brow crunched together as he looked at Lance.
“Why are you pushing this so much? Did Lau Tu send you here?”
“How could she? She doesn’t even know that that thing exists,” Lance nodded back to the building. “If I’m being honest, she saved not only my life, but that of my crew, and of a dear friend of mine. She did so at the risk of crossing Sabo himself. She’d expressed that she wished her people didn’t have to be so reliant on imports to survive and that she wants an easier life for her people.”
Lance placed his hands behind his back and shrugged.
“I can understand that,” Shi-fan whispered and nodded.
“And also, imagine how much stronger your position will be if they’re actually able to bring technology onto their planet, mine resources and expand on technology. If the Tauren were spacefaring directly from their world, I’d imagine one brief call and they’d have been here to put a stop to Mundur.”
Shi-fan stroked the crystal ball hanging from his head as he stared over the forests and distant mountains.
“Do you know what the worst part about negotiating with you is?” the emperor asked as he turned toward the captain.
“What is that?” Lance asked, crossing his arms.
“Your ability to see the best possible outcome for both parties and find the path that leads there,” Shi-fan replied. “You make it so that any reasonable person is inviting disaster by not taking you up on your suggestions.”
“I come from a line of military men; diplomacy and how to fight are the two things they pass down with each generation,” Lance replied. “That skill isn’t passed to everyone, though. My brother couldn’t negotiate a five-dollar drink if he offered five fifty for it. I’m lucky to have been blessed with it.”
“That you are. What worries me is when the time comes that you try to negotiate with someone who isn’t reasonable. What’s stopping them from shooting you in the head?”
“That’s why they also passed down their knowledge of fighting,” Lance countered. “In my family, we call it aggressive negotiations.”
An expression of confusion spread over the Calnar’s face.
“Negotiations with a weapon,” Lance replied, tapping his pistol.
“That would help them see it your way, so long as you’re the superior fighter.”
“I have yet to find an enemy that’s my superior,” Lance countered. “And I’ve fought a lot of people.”
“I’m sure you have. But I’m inclined to warn you. There are races out there with such a skill for violence that I fear even you couldn’t withstand them.”
“Are you referring to the Cephaloid?”
“You mean the Cephalith? Yes, they are a particularly lethal people. Thankfully, they hate the Svikari more than any other race, otherwise, I’m sure Sabo would be sending a few of them after you.”
“And how much would it take to have one of them be sent after me by Sabo?”
“There’s no amount of wealth in this universe that could make a Cephalith take a bounty from a Svikari. They destroyed the Cephalith’s home world, boiled the seas and turned it into a desert wasteland where only the scum of the galaxy now congregates.”
“Then that’s one less thing to worry about.”
Shi-fan nodded before turning back toward his guards.
“Let us restock your stores while you’re here. I’ll bring your suggestion to our council and see what they have to say.”
“Aren’t you the emperor now?” Lance asked, following the Calnar. “Why do you need to bring anything to a council?”
“I believe it is your people who say absolute power corrupts absolutely… I aim to refrain from the same corruption of my predecessor.”
“Isn’t that something,” Lance scoffed. “It seems like every leader I’ve come across has been benevolent or wise…”
“All?” Shi-fan interrupted.
“There was Madam Devris. There’s a brutal sort of wisdom with that woman,” Lance replied. “I didn’t expect to meet that many.”
“You have been lucky, then. We are few and far between, with small pockets dotted here and there.”
“At least you have pockets of them. With my people, all too often, our rulers are cruel or idiots. Every once in a while, we’ll get a cruel idiot.”
“And what happens when you do?” Shi-fan asked.
“In the olden times, we’d overthrow them, behead them, burn them; just do whatever it takes so that they couldn’t influence anyone again. In the more modern era, we just have to suffer them.”
“It’s never fun to suffer a fool.”
Lance held back a chuckle at the emperor’s words while nodding in agreement.
“You’re not wrong.”
Lance’s multi-tool crackled to life. He looked down at it with an incoming transmission from Drentlaw. He opened the channel.
“Everything okay?” he asked.
“Actually, sir, it’s not,” the cartographer replied.
“Don’t leave me hanging. What’s going on?”
“Last time we were here, I dropped several probes in the surrounding system to scan and record anomalies. I just received a ping from the main route in and out of this sector.”
“What kind of ping?” Lance asked.
“The kind that indicates the arrival of a big freaking ship!”
“There are human vessels bringing aid to Tamomi. How sure are we that it’s not one of them.”
“Pretty darn sure, sir… It’s a SOAT Life Ship; it’s the same ship that brought Sabo to us.”
Shi-fan spun and looked at Lance’s forearm, the color drained from his face.
“Copy that, get everyone on board. Maybe we can intercept them in case they’re looking to cause trouble because of their old guest.”
“Rescind that order!” Shi-fan barked, marching toward Lance before looking at him with sincerity in his face. “If you’re going to all these lengths to make people think you’re dead, then you can’t distract them. Get your men, get in your ship and get out of this system. Whatever they want, we can take care of them, even IF Sabo is on that ship.”
“He’s not,” Lance countered. “He’s been sent on patrol in the furthest reaches of the galaxy with a full Svikari crew. He’s being heavily monitored and wouldn’t be able to get over here this quickly.”
“Either way, your secrecy is of the utmost importance.”
“Thank you, my friend.”
“You’d do the same.”
Shi-fan motioned for his guards to follow him as they made their way back toward the building. Lance connected his multi-tool to Dexter’s.
“Get back to the landing platform. We’ve got a SOAT Life Ship inbound so we need to get off this rock.”
“I literally just got down here,” Dexter countered.
“Fine, but we’re leaving before they’re in range to pick us up,” Lance replied as the Gladius roared to life. “Her engines are already warming up.”
“Copy that, returning to ship.” Dexter sighed before the line cut off.
Lance marched back toward his craft, following a few of the flight deck crew members into the airlock after they’d finished their external visual inspection of their ship. Being decontaminated, the interior door opened.
“How sure are we that they’re even hostile?” Justin asked as the captain entered the cockpit.
“They likely aren’t, just passing through on a happy coincidence,” Lance replied. “But if they pick us up on their scanners and report us back as alive, whoever attacked the station will know within a day.”
“And it doesn’t hurt to take the approach that everyone that isn’t us wants us dead at the moment,” Valdivia added as she entered the cockpit as well.
“Wise idea,” Lance said, flashing her a smile.
“Did you get everything we need?” she asked.
“And more. Shi-fan is quite the gracious host.”
“Good, and your brother decided to work on changing our ship’s ion outputs signature, whatever that means,” she added.
“Every ship releases ions in a unique way. Part of the minute, unique flaws in each engine…”
“Like Jeff Goldblum’s chaos theory?” Val interrupted.
“Exactly like that, only instead of water rolling down the back of your hand, it’s a trail that shows exactly what ship flew through where,” Justin replied. “By tweaking the engine output, it will affect our ion signature, so it’ll differ from what’s on file… why didn’t I think of that?”
“You’ve had a lot on your mind,” Valdivia replied.
“Yeah, but that’s no excuse. It’s beginner stealth tactics.”
“We’re all good now,” Lance chimed in. “So no need to worry about it at the moment.”
The side of the building opened up as Dexter sprinted through the opening. He charged at them nearly faster than Lance’s eye could track. The hissing and clunking of the airlock opening, closing, and decontaminating the giant filled the ship before the interior door opened.
“Were you really going to leave me here?” Dexter asked without so much as a pant to his voice.
“No, we weren’t.” Justin laughed.
Lance looked at his pilot friend, then back to the giant before nodding.
“Yes, we were. It’s easier for a single person to hide on this planet than it is for a ship to stay concealed in this sector,” Lance corrected. “We would’ve come back for you, but not until we were clear to do so.”
“Wow… jerk move man,” Dexter whimpered.
“Then on that dour note, we’ve got a green light on all systems and ready to lift off,” Justin said as he initiated the liftoff sequence.
As they lifted off, the ship’s nose turned to the sky as they shot toward the clouds.
12
COVER STORY
As the blue swirl overtook their windscreen, Lance turned to Valdivia and offered her his hand. She took it before making their way to the galaxy map. Stepping onto the command center, he released her hand as the hologram flickered to life.
“Drentlaw,” he said, connecting his channel with that of his cartographer. “Where are we headed and did we manage to get out of the sector in time?”
“No sign of pursuit, and without probes in our area, we were outside of their effective range to see anything but a heat signature, which no longer matches what’s on file,” Drentlaw replied.
