Dark Space (23 page)

   Shawn smiled a toothy grin.
“That’s why we have friends, Angel.”

   She gave him a skeptical
look, wondering what was on his mind. “Are you thinking some kind of diplomatic
mission? I mean, I’m sure Ambassador McDermott can help with that, but I think
he’s—”

   Shawn flinched at the
mention of the gruff, abrasive Ambassador. Scott had his talents in the
political arena, of that there was no doubt, but this situation called for
something a more expedient than the snail’s pace the UCS and the Kafaran
diplomats were currently on. Besides, the last time he dealt with McDermott,
Shawn lost his ship—and almost his life, not to mention those of his friends.
It’d be a cold day on Third Earth before he asked any favors of the man. No,
Shawn had a better plan.

   Smiling mischievously, he
patted her shoulder lightly. “I was thinking of someone a little more …
tactical
.”

 “Yes, I wanted him in our
fleet. And why not? He was as fine a pilot as I’d ever met, and a good
commander of men. In our culture, it’s not only fitting to admire men with
those qualities, but to encourage them with accolades and awards. He had but to
say the word and it would have been given him. In truth, the only person to
whom it would have mattered about being under the direct command of a Rugorian
was the commander himself, and I was glad to see that it was a state of mind he
could abandon.”

-Fleet
Captain (later Rear Admiral) Ariah Voula

Rugorian
Protectorate

The
Rugorians: Once Upon a Pirate, 1
^st
Edition

   Back inside the
Nautilus
,
Melissa looked out the starboard window as the mining complex disappeared in a
cloud of dust. Shawn, seated comfortably at the controls, had initially
objected to returning to Torval’s capital city of Salias, but Doctor Uudon’s
insistence that he be allowed to remove several artifacts from his personal
shuttle—not to mention his robot—compelled the commander to submit.

   Less than twenty minutes
later, Shawn had the
Nautilus
hovering over the carcass that had long
since been converted to a small craft landing platform. Unlike the day before,
the landing platform was a bustle of activity. There was only a single space
large enough for their transport, so Shawn was forced to land in a corner
opposite the doctor’s shuttle. As he began to set the transport down, his eyes
fixed on the menacing-looking Temkorian security craft, still parked where it
had been the night before. When the
Nautilus
was secured to the pad,
Shawn made sure his weapon was charged before opening the outer hatch.

   Taking the lead, he stepped
out into the midday suns and scanned the area. There were numerous aliens
milling about, and all were either traders or technicians. Thankfully, the
Temkorians were nowhere present, but that didn’t mean they weren’t lurking
somewhere out of sight. Mindful that he still had his weapon at his side, Shawn
led Doctor Uudon and Melissa toward the far corner of the maintenance bay.

   “You seem to know where
you’re going,” Uudon said.

   “We’ve been here before,”
Melissa replied from his side.

   His tone was anything but
cordial when he replied. “And I suppose you’re going to tell me that it had
nothing to do with me or my ship?”

   “In fact, it had everything
to do with you,” Shawn said over his shoulder as they continued on.

   “I’m no criminal,
Commander, if that’s what you’re implying.”

   “I don’t have a habit of
making implications, Doctor. Ask Miss Graves.”

   “It’s true,” she said to
Uudon. “Sometimes not to his benefit.”

   “There’s no reason why
people shouldn’t say what’s on their minds,” Shawn countered. “It makes for
more productive conversations.”

   Uudon seemed to respect
this answer. “Well, in that we are in agreement.”

   With his back to them,
neither Uudon nor Melissa saw Shawn smiling in approval. “There, you see? We’re
already coming to some understandings.”

   “Then perhaps you’ll be
frank with me, Commander, when I ask why it is that you are
really
abducting me.”

   “Now abduction …
that
I will agree to doing from time to time,” Shawn said without stopping. “It’s a
useful way of keeping people out of trouble.”

   “And I am, as you say, in
trouble?”

   Shawn chuckled, but he
doubted Uudon could hear him over the din from the throng of aliens they were
skirting. “You’re both a risk
and
at risk, Doctor. Keeping you close is
the best way to make sure neither of those things creates a problem.”

   “Because of my discovery?”
the doctor asked as they neared his small shuttle.

   Although the crowds in this
part of the port were thinning, Shawn didn’t want to discuss the matter in the
open. “We’ll talk about it later. Let’s just get what we came for and be out of
here.” He looked to the silent, deadly looking Temkorian security ship and
shivered at the thought of encountering either of the two scale-faced aliens
they’d seen the night before. “The sooner, the better.”

   Stepping aside, Shawn and
Melissa watched as Uudon entered his encrypted code into the side of the
shuttle. The door made a slight hiss, then slid up and away from the
ovoid-shaped craft. A moment later Uudon disappeared inside.

   “Should I follow him in?”
Melissa asked.

   Shawn scanned the outer
hull from stem to stern in a fraction of a second. “I doubt there’s room for you
in that thing.” After five minutes, Uudon had still not reappeared, so Shawn
impatiently smacked his palm on the side of the craft. “Let’s get a move on,
Doc.” A minute later, Uudon appeared in the open doorway carrying two small
suitcases. When the doctor exited the craft, a bipedal robot staggered out
behind him.

    “This is M-9,” Uudon said.
“My assistant, as well as a protector. And might I say that patience is a
virtue you are sorely lacking, Commander,” he finished in disdain.

   Shawn looked over the robot
astutely. It looked like a basic maintenance droid, but with some modifications
to the hands for holding tools. The coverings were battered in places, rusting
in others, and some lubricant was seeping from a crack near the right shoulder.
Nothing about it looked menacing, but robots in general could be very
deceiving.

   Baking under the scorching
heat of the two suns, Shawn wiped a layer of sweat from his brow. “It’s a
little toasty out here. I’m in a hurry to get back to our ship and get on with
our objective.”

   Uudon scowled at him, but
then his countenance changed to one of dismay as he looked at something over
Shawn’s shoulder.

   “Well, well, well,” a voice
slithered from behind Shawn. “What do we have here? A merry little band of
wayward travelers?”

   Closing his eyes, Shawn
cursed under his breath.
Temkorians
. Turning to face what was sure to be
a hideous-looking grin, Shawn steadied himself and put on his most dashing
smile. When he faced the alien—who was standing a full foot taller than
he—Shawn caught a whiff of the creature’s breath. It smelled like raw eggs that
had been left to cook under the binary suns of this wretched planet. Glancing
down, he saw the creature had both a pistol and knife strapped to the side of
his dark security uniform. Trying not to show how the stench affected him,
Shawn continued to beam. “We were just leaving.”

   The fang-lined smile
remained as the alien issued a guttural laugh. “Just like a human, always in
the wrong place at the wrong time.”

   The Temkorian’s cohort, no
less ugly
or
armed, spoke up. “And without so much as an introduction.”

   “The name’s Larry,” Shawn
said, then nodded his head back in the direction of Melissa. “This is Moe.”

    The two aliens shifted
their eyes to Doctor Uudon. “And him?” one of them asked.

   “Curley Joe.”

   “My name is Doctor Uudon,”
the doctor corrected.

   Shawn fought the urge to
roll his eyes. “That’s right. Doctor Curley Joe Uudon.”

   “A doctor of what?” the
first Temkorian slithered.

   “Music,” Shawn said before
Uudon could respond. “He’s a complete mess when it comes to the piano, but he
can tune a fork like it’s nobody’s business.”

   It was hard to tell if the
Temkorians were buying the ridiculous story, but the look on their faces told
Shawn they were far from convinced. Of course, with a face coated in scales and
capped with ruby-red eyes, it would’ve have been hard to tell anything with any
degree of certainty.

   “What’s in the cases?” the
second alien asked.

   “Dust mites … largest
collection in the sector,” Shawn said as confidently as he could. “We’d love to
show you, but the little buggers would sneak out.”

   The first Temkorian eyed
Shawn from head to toe, then stepped closer, nearly touching noses with the commander.
“You look vaguely familiar.”

   “I’ve been told I have that
kind of face. Of course, all of us humans look the same at this distance.”   

   “Identity card?” 

   “I left it in my other
pants.”

   The alien then turned to
Melissa. “You … Moe! Identity card.”

   “I left it in my other
pants,” she said, not sure of the right answer.

   The alien grunted in her
direction before turning back to Shawn. “Doubtful.”

   “It’s true,” the commander
said jovially. “There’s a slacks convention going on in the other side of the
star port. Jeans can come too, but shorts aren’t admitted.”

   “You’re going to have to
come with me, hu-man. All of you. I have some …
questions
.”

   The smile quickly faded
from Shawn’s face. “You don’t hold authority here, Temkorian. This is a free
world, last I checked.”

   “Then you are in error. My
position as head of security for this port gives me that authority.”

   Shawn shook his head
slowly. Things were about to get out of his control. “I guess when they’re
desperate for help, these people will hire just about anybody … or any
thing
.”

   “Enough!” the second alien bellowed
as Melissa slowly stepped to Shawn’s side.

  
Good girl,
he
thought.
Just don’t go getting either of us killed.

   “Come with us. Now,” the
first Temkorian said as he reached for his weapon.

   Shawn looked over his
shoulder at Melissa. “I guess we should get on with it.” Clenching his fist, he
spun back around before the Temkorian could draw his weapon, landing a hit
directly in the side of the alien’s face. The security guard reeled back, his
weapon flapping out of his hand and smacking onto the dusty ground. Not wasting
any time, Shawn kicked the weapon away, then spun and landed another kick in
the Temkorian’s midsection, sending the guard down on his armored backside.
Risking a glance at Melissa, he could see that she had likewise engaged the
other guard, sending a one-two punch into the creature’s face before spinning
and taking the alien’s feet out from under him. 

  Behind him, Shawn heard the
hiss of the doctor’s shuttle close, but didn’t have time to see if the doctor
was in or out of the craft. Knowing Melissa could take care of herself for the
moment, Shawn quickly withdrew his pistol and set it to stun the Temkorian. Not
knowing if it would have any effect on the alien’s naturally thick armor, he
pointed it in the direction of the fallen security guard, but the weapon was
quickly knocked out of his hand by the creature who’d already gotten his proper
footing.

  
Oh, hell
. 

   In a move of desperation,
Shawn ducked his head and tried to rush the alien in hopes of bowling him over.
Instead, the Temkorian stopped Shawn’s head with one large, clawed hand, then
drove its other shoulder into the center of Shawn’s back. The force of the blow
took Shawn’s legs out from under him, and the commander collapsed to the floor
face-down in a cloud of dust. Looking up, he could see Uudon’s droid standing
motionless nearby.
A little help would be nice, buddy!

   The Temkorian lightly
kicked Shawn over to get access to the commander’s hands as he withdrew a pair
of handcuffs, but Shawn was able to kick up and send the manacles flying. In
the distance he heard Melissa yelp as the objects hit her.

   “Sorry,” Shawn cried out
from the ground, then rolled to a standing position. When the Temkorian lunged
for him, he was ready. Catching the alien off balance, Shawn grabbed its wrist
and twisted, then spun behind it and landed a well-placed kick behind its knee
and sent it to the ground once again. Behind him, Shawn heard the engines of
the doctor’s shuttle begin to wind up. Acting quickly, Shawn picked up the
Temkorian’s fallen weapon and fired at the shuttle. The bolt of energy ripped
through the starboard engine and turned the delicate device into a pile of
junk.

   Behind him, Shawn heard a
grunt at as the Temkorian got to its feet and rushed toward him. Spinning
quickly, Shawn fired another round that penetrated the alien’s thick armor on
its shoulder. The security guard hissed out a curse as it clawed at the wound.
Seeing an opportunity, Shawn rushed toward the creature and, using the butt of
the rifle, planted a hit squarely in the guard’s stomach. It toppled over a
moment later. Looking to his right, Shawn could see that Melissa had likewise
subdued her attacker. She had the Temkorian’s arms behind its back as she
placed the guards own handcuffs around its wrists.

   “Now that looks like a good
idea,” he said, retrieving the discarded cuffs from the ground and cuffing the
other guard.

   When the door to the doctor’s
shuttle once again opened, Shawn and Melissa were standing triumphantly over
their attackers.