Crystal Deception (20 page)

Chapter 27

Juice felt responsible for the
failing cloak. She held her breath as she watched Sid make blind attempts at an
emergency repair. From her vantage point on the bridge, she did not see him reach
down by his thigh and grab his mallet. She did see it, however, when he moved
it into position beside his head.

“What are you doing?” she said with clear alarm. He didn’t respond.

The space inside the wall was so cramped that he could only
use wrist motion. He cocked the mallet and thwacked the box, then pulled the
mallet back, readying for a second attempt.

“That’s it,” said Criss. “We are cloaked. I believe we were
visible for just a brief moment. The cloak appears to be stable now.”

Sid pulled himself out of the wall, jumped up, and shook his
mallet in victory. “I am Thor,” he called as he walked back to the bridge. He
stood in front of Juice and held the mallet at his hip. “Would you help me make
a holster? I want to carry this baby with me all the time.” He didn’t wait for
an answer, but sat in his chair, absently twirling it as he daydreamed.

Juice, who had been thinking that a hammer was a dubious
tool for delicate circuit work, flashed on a few variations for a holster design
as she watched Sid play with his toy.

“Update, Criss. How are we doing?” asked Sid.

“The cloak is holding. We are in the midst of the cloud of
fragments. Our intercept trajectory is good. We should be firing our grapple in
a few hours.”

Waiting is difficult, and doubly so during moments of
tension
, thought Juice.

Criss placed them on a course to approach the Kardish vessel
from the rear and float above its surface as they drifted past the fins and over
the hull. As planned, the scout was moving inside a cloud of fragments. These
would be hitting the surface of the alien vessel as the scout traversed its
length.

During the approach, Sid and Criss debated where to deploy
the grapple. Criss, having viewed two decades of record of small craft entering
and exiting the vessel, could pinpoint precisely where that hatch was located.
Starting from the stern, they should travel two-thirds of the way down the
Kardish vessel and then attach the scout.

“I make decisions that maximize my options when it comes
time to make my next decision,” said Sid. “The place that keeps the most options
open is the halfway mark. In a monster vessel like this, there have to be lots
of hatches. Since we don’t know where the
Alliance
is, whether the crew
is still with it, or what options they’ll have to help, the halfway point is
where we’ll attach.”

When they reached the Kardish ship a few hours later and passed
over the finned tail of the vessel, the immense, menacing view sidetracked the
debate. Juice watched mesmerized as the black, featureless expanse of alien
ship passed beneath them.

She sensed that Sid was about to order Criss to attach when
a crack of light became visible through the vessel hull up ahead. Sid zoomed
the image for a closer look.

A hatch was opening!
Juice thought with a mixture of
excitement and trepidation.

“Criss,” said Sid. “I can’t tell how big that is. Can we fit
through it?”

There was a pause as the hatch continued to open. “It is now
wide enough to pass through safely.”

Sid tapped the operations bench, and when nothing happened, anger
flashed in his eyes. “Give me the controls,” he commanded. “Now.”

Our first test of who’s in command,
thought Juice.

Sid tapped the bench again and this time the scout responded.
“We’re going in. Help me hit the sweet spot.”

“Perhaps we should move to the opposite side of the vessel,”
said Criss. “It seems likely we are about to be attacked.”

“The best defense is a good offense,” Sid directed the ship
toward the gap. “Here we go.” He swung the scout out to improve the angle and
then swung back in the direction of the Kardish vessel.

Juice bounced in her seat as the scout started bucking. She
double checked her restraints and looked at Sid, wondering if he really was as
confident as his calm exterior seemed to project.

 “Whoa,” said Sid. “Gale-force winds are blowing out of that
thing.”

In fact, a steady stream of air was rushing out, forming a
cloud outside the ship and then dissipating into the emptiness of space.

Sid aimed the scout straight into the turbulence at the
hatch opening, and the unpredictable maelstrom of swirling air pushed it around
like a toy bobbing on the ocean. Criss reacted fast enough to continually
adjust their course as they passed through the violent eddies and currents, and
his rapid-fire actions kept the scout from slamming into the hull of the larger
vessel. The shaking became increasingly violent and then, suddenly, it was
quiet. They were inside.

Juice surveyed the image projection of their surroundings
with wonder. A huge open deck lay below them, and at a distance in front sat rows
of cubicles. To the left was a solid wall. To the right was a sea of box-like
structures.

Something shook the ship and Sid asked, “What’s going on,
Criss?”

“We are in a gravity environment. I am slowing our descent.”

Sid looked at the displays on his bench. “Get us on the deck
quickly and keep us near the hull. As soon as we touch, power down. Essential
systems only.”

Juice held on tight, thankful that just seconds later, they
were settled on the deck.

Criss shut down all nonessential operations, setting life
support, communications, and other necessities to their lowest functioning
level.

As minutes passed, Juice felt tension building inside her.
She reacted to the silence. “This is too weird.” The quiet stretched out. “Are
we still cloaked?”

“Yes,” said Criss.

“Where are they? Is anyone approaching?” she asked.

“The scout’s sensors are not designed for an enclosed
environment and are of limited value in this setting,” said Criss. “I can
report that there is no life in our immediate vicinity. But there are hangar
doors open to the vacuum of space right above us, so that is not unexpected.”

After more minutes of quiet Criss said, “The hangar doors
are closing. We still have time to slip through and escape. Otherwise, we will
need to find a way to open the doors ourselves if we are to leave in the
scout.”

Juice squirmed when she heard they would soon be trapped
inside the Kardish vessel.

“We’re going to stay and play this out,” said Sid as he poked
the operations bench. Looking at the different displays, he asked, “Why would
they throw away all that air? It doesn’t make sense.” He continued his activity
but seemed lost in thought. “Criss, in your review of the record, how often did
you see the Kardish vent gas directly to space?”

“Never.”

“Any ideas?”

“It is a way to create a rapid decompression inside this
section of the vessel.”

“Huh,” said Sid. He released his restraints, stood up, and
stretched. He reached a hand out to Juice and motioned for her to join him. Juice
welcomed his strength and his presence. His example bolstered her resolve.
I
can do this
, she told herself, taking a deep breath and standing up next to
him.

“Let’s try that secure link thing that Juice built,” said
Sid. “Let’s see if we can raise the
Alliance
.”

After several seconds, Criss said, “I can connect to the
ship, but I am only receiving returns from automated subsystems. The crew does
not respond.”

An image popped up above the operations bench. It was of
poor quality and Juice squinted, trying to discern what they were seeing. It
was like looking through fog.

“It is the
Alliance
,” said Criss. “The image is
corrupted because portions of the ship have been heavily damaged.”

Sid studied the image, walking around to view it from
different angles. “That’s the command bridge,” he said. “It looks like a war
zone. Can you locate Cheryl or Jack? Or any of the crew?”

Criss cycled through a series of different views from inside
the ship. Some images were so corrupted it was difficult to decipher what part
of the ship they were looking at. With each view, they searched for signs of
life.

“I have enhanced and analyzed everything I can recover from
the
Alliance
. Their image record has been destroyed, so I can only see the
present. I cannot locate any personnel, though there are several areas I cannot
view because of equipment damage.”

Juice grasped Sid’s arm with both hands. She had been
fighting to contain her emotions over the loss of Mick and Sheldon. This
disturbing information started the battle anew in her head. She sought yet
again the reassurance of physical contact. Sid wrapped both his arms around her
and gave her a hug.

“We’ll find them and get them home,” he whispered to her. They
stood together, lost in their own thoughts, then Sid announced, “I’m going out
to explore.”

“The air pressure is rising,” Criss replied. “It won’t be
long before one of you can exit without a suit.”

Sid bent down and picked up his mallet and toyed with it
while he waited for the time to pass.

“Juice,” said Criss. “Would you help me with a project? I
would like to connect directly to the Kardish central array.”

She jumped at the chance to contribute and keep her mind
engaged. Sitting and waiting was driving her nuts. When she reached the tech
shop, Criss used her dot to show her what he was trying to achieve.

The device he proposed could be assembled from the unused
parts of their previous projects. She rummaged through the discard pile, picked
out the items she needed, and spread them out on the work table. She shuffled
the pieces until they were arranged in the proper sequence for assembly.

With Criss’s guidance, she fashioned a central array
interface, a high-throughput communications link, and a power source. She found
herself humming, her mind fully consumed by the intricate task. Sid drifted
back to watch and stood in silence as she combined the delicate bits into a
single small case.

Criss showed them both a close-up of the Kardish vessel wall
near the scout. He pointed out some likely access sites into the central array.
Juice would need to run a hand scan at each site to identify the best entry
point. She was to cut in and connect the device and then hide or camouflage the
case as best she could.

When Sid understood that Juice would be making the first
foray out of the scout, he protested.

“Sid,” said Criss. “Without this device in place, we are
blind. We must send the person who can get it installed properly and quickly.”

Sid relented. “Juice, this will be dangerous. I feel bad—this
isn’t what I promised you when we talked about you coming along. Are you up for
it?”

“Hell, yeah,” she said with much more confidence than she
felt.

Sid held up his mallet. “Know that me and my friend here
will have you covered.”

Juice slipped through the hatch at the bottom of the scout
and stood on the deck. Sid reached down and handed her a small pouch with tools
and the device. He started to close the hatch and paused. “I’ll be with you
every step of the way.”

She trotted toward the box-buildings and then turned and
followed a road bordering the buildings straight to the hull of the Kardish
vessel.

An overwhelming collection of objects covered the wall in
front of her. Criss guided her to the location he believed held the most
promise. She pulled the scanner from her pouch and moved it slowly over
everything in front of her.

“Stop,” he said. “Right there.”

The scanner hovered over a square that looked just like a
dozen others near it. She studied the object he’d identified, gripped what
seemed like a cover along the edge, and pulled. It released to expose a smooth,
dark surface. She couldn’t see any joints or connections.

“Press the case against the surface, but don’t let your
fingers touch it,” said Criss. She did so and, prompted by Criss, slid the case
back and forth and up and down. Her efforts seemed to be failing, but finally Criss
announced, “That’s it. Just like that. Can you fasten it in place?”

Holding the case with one hand, she used her other hand and
her teeth to fashion a sticky-stick. She put a gentle bend in it and stuck the
center of the bend against the back of the case. She pressed her finger on top
of the bend so the case wouldn’t move and then, one at a time, folded back the
ends of the stick and pressed each against the hull. She pulled her hands away,
and it all held together. She snapped the cover back on.

“We still good?” she asked.

“Perfect,” said Criss.

Juice stood by, watching the assembly and waiting for
further instructions.

As the quiet stretched out, Sid asked, “Criss. Are we done?”
Criss didn’t respond. “Criss!” Sid repeated with more urgency. “What next?” The
silence continued.

“Juice, get back here.”

She turned around and saw an open deck. The scout was gone.
“Wow, the cloak works great. You’ll have to guide me in.”

* * *

Sid focused on getting his partner
back safely. “Stick to the road along the edge of the box-buildings. I’ll tell
you when to turn.” He was annoyed at Criss for dropping the ball. This was a
mission, though—he’d led many operations over the years and took the lead
without hesitation.

Juice trotted along the road, waiting for the signal from
Sid, when some commotion behind her caused her to turn. Through her dot, Sid
saw a tall, blond Kardish running after her. She froze.

“Run, Juice,” commanded Sid. He saw the Kardish raise a
weapon. “Now, Juice. Run!” he shouted. “Drop the bag. Move your feet.”

The Kardish yelled something. Juice spun, threw the pouch up
over her head, and ran. The Kardish stopped for a moment to watch the pouch arc
toward him, giving Juice the seconds she needed.