DJ's Mission (24 page)

Knowing it wouldn’t really stop their descent; he
fired his boot jump jets and set them on max burn. At this rate, he would be
out of fuel in less than twenty seconds but he figured it was enough to keep
them from reaching terminal velocity. A quick glance to measure the distance to
the safety of the neighbor’s yard and he knew he didn’t have enough forward
thrust to carry them over the deadly garden, even with the lesser gravity of
Titan.

He only saw one option. When they landed, he would
throw the thief to safety and hopefully survive the opening attack of the
killer robots. He knew that his suit had enough energy in its legs to catapult
him over the nearby wall; the question remained if he would have enough time to
do so. Even as DJ tensed in preparation of his landing, a large black skimmer
with the back door open pulled into their path. 

DJ didn’t question their good fortune. He just
reached out and snagged the skimmer’s doorframe with his right hand. Only the
increased strength and the resilient nature of the CSA armor saved him from
ripping his arm out of socket. He easily hung there while the thief scrambled
to safety. Once again he was impressed with the CSA armor. The mobility,
enhanced strength, jump jets and a half dozen other aspects made it in many
ways superior to his old reliable HAVOC-V armor. Yes, the HAVOC could take and
dish out more damage. But the versatility of the CSA armor was overwhelming and
according to Iaido, the ARC armor was even better. He’d always wondered why Spartan
had favored the former Spec-Force armor over the heavier assault armor. Now, he
knew. The HAVOC armor had its time and place but bounty hunting wasn’t it. It
would be like bringing a tank to a drag race.

Once he climbed inside, Jax closed the door and
sped away from the burning house even as emergency crews began to arrive. DJ
took one final look at the wreckage and said, “I didn’t think that grenade
would be so powerful.”

Stephanie blushed. “It wasn’t. The explosion set
off several bombs that I had planted throughout the house as part of my escape
plan. Sorry about that.”

“No problems. It all worked out in the end, kind
of.” DJ pulled out a cred-stix and handed to her. “Even though we didn’t rescue
Kaitlyn, you did your part.”

Stephanie shook her head. “Keep it. I’m sorry she
wasn’t there. What will you do now?”

“The plan hasn’t changed, just the location.”

Stephanie cocked her head to one side. “You do
realize that if Pridgen did take her, than he was acting on orders from
Kassinger and ultimately from Roger Thomas.”

DJ nodded. “Doesn’t matter, either I will rescue
my daughter or I will die trying.”

“Your daughter?” Stephanie raised an eyebrow.
“Well, that explains a lot.” Seeing him about to deny or explain she raised a
hand to forestall him. “Don’t worry about it. Your cover is safe with me.
However it does clarify your determination.” She reached into her satchel and
pulled out the bundle of cred-stix she had pocketed earlier. “Here, take these.
Consider it a donation to Kaitlyn’s future when you rescue her.”

DJ looked at the bundle of cred-stix; if they were
full, she had just handed him somewhere in the neighborhood of five million
credits. Before he could respond, she handed him a data crystal.

“This is all the intel I’ve collected on the factory,
including blueprints and primary egress routes. Primary entry routes are color
coded in blue, security check-points in red and any weak points I’ve noticed
over the last few weeks are in yellow. I hope it helps.”

DJ was overwhelmed. “I really don’t know what to
say. Thanks just seems so inadequate.”

Stephanie shook her head. “It’s not. Just save
Kaitlyn. I’ve grown rather fond of her over the last few months.”

Jagger Jax pulled up next to El Gato’s skimmer and
opened the back door. “Be careful out there Kitty.”

As the thief hopped out, she flashed him a smile.
“Watch your six pirate and look after the Falcon for me.”

“Will do.”

Stephanie turned to DJ. “Good luck.”

“Thanks.”

She waved to them once as they pulled out and
disappeared into the night.

Chapter 18

DJ quietly studied the factory plans as Jax
casually drove the stolen limo-skimmer around Titan City. After several minutes
he broke the silence.

“You know you don’t have to do this with me? This
may very well be a suicide run.”

Jax just cracked his knuckles and grinned. “I’m
with you till the end. I’m not gonna walk away just because it’s gotten harder.
Besides, think of all the fun I would miss.”

DJ laughed to release the tension that had been
building. “There is that. Okay, I have an idea how to find Pridgen and my
daughter once we get to the factory. It’ll be tricky but it should work.”

“So? What’s the problem?”

“I have no idea how to get to the factory without
being seen and intercepted. It’s located on the dark side of Titan and
completely isolated. Even taxis aren’t allowed to dock there.”

Jax grinned and altered his course slightly. “I’ve
got this.”

“How?”

As Jax guided the limo into a parking lot near the
shuttle depot, he pointed at one particular shuttle. “It’s simple, we stowaway
on the shift work shuttle. These old ships have plenty of hiding places. We
merge into the ongoing worker traffic and once onboard, we slip into an unused
hatch.”

“You sound as if you’ve done it before.”

Jax nodded. “How do you think I got from New
Atlanta to Ceres? It surely wasn’t on my good looks and charm.”

DJ shrugged. “I don’t have a better idea and time
isn’t a luxury we have anyway.”

Jax pointed at him. “You’re going to have to ditch
that armor, at least long enough for us to sneak onboard.”

DJ began pulling off the Red Falcon armor. “No
worries. I have a plan.”

*   *   *   *   *

Stephanie felt guilty about leaving the men behind.

Yes, she’d fulfilled her end of the contract but
she had hoped to see Kaitlyn one last time before leaving Titan. And it was
time to leave. She had completed her mission and even liberated several million
credits from the Admiral. Typically, those incidentals were her bonus but she
really didn’t need the credits anyway. She hadn’t checked her portfolio in
weeks but her last statement had been in the excess of seven point three billon
credits. Besides, she was certain that Kaitlyn’s dad had tapped into every bit
of savings to fund her rescue. It was the least she could do.

Even as she pulled into the starport and grabbed
her gear, the pangs of loneliness crept into her soul once again. It had been a
good feeling to work alongside of the Falcon and Jagger Jax. She’d been working
solo ever since losing Marcus to that bomb back on Kepler. Now that she was
alone again, the memories of her nights with Marcus began to intrude into her
thoughts. Stephanie shook her head to try and clear her mind. It wouldn’t do
for her to collapse into a sobbing heap, at least not in the middle of the
starport.

The high pitched whine of an incoming ship caught
her attention. She wasn’t sure why but something about it sounded out of place.
Rounding a corner, she spied a red and black Kestrel with its twin oscillating
jet engines coming in for a vertical landing. One of the reports she had read
from her handler suddenly came to mind.

There was conflicting reports concerning the Red
Falcon, one such report mentioned that the latest sightings of the bounty
hunter had been in a red and black Kestrel Mark3. When the rear hatch opened
and a large man in a similar red CSA armor stepped off, she realized the truth
of the report. There were two Red Falcons.

Somehow DJ had assumed the guise of the Red Falcon
and managed to gain access to his original ship. Judging from the walk of the
upstart Falcon, Stephanie guessed that he was here to find DJ. Then a crazy
thought crossed her mind. Dropping her luggage, she rushed forward before the
local Custom Agents could get to him. Planting a look of relief on her face,
she ran up and hugged the armored man.

“Oh thank God, I caught you before you left.”

The upstart Falcon gently but firmly pushed her
away. “I’m sorry ma’am but I don’t know you.”

“Of course not, I’m just one of the little people
you saved when you killed that purple bug thingy.” Before he could say anything
she added, “But I thought I heard you say that you were on your way to the
factory on the dark side of the moon?”

That stopped him. “Wait. You know who I am?”

“Yes. You’re the Red Falcon, our savior.”

“And where did you say I was heading?”

“The ship factory.”

“How long ago was this?”

Stephanie shrugged and acted like she was trying
hard to remember. “I dunno, three…maybe, four hours ago.”

Without another word, the upstart Red Falcon
turned around and headed back to his ship. He even ignored the Customs Agent as
he tried to talk to him. Within minutes, the red and black Kestrel was lifting
off and heading out.

Stephanie allowed herself a small smile.

DJ and Jax would have the distraction they were
desperately going to need. Now she just needed to get a message to them. When
her eyes came across a brown coated deputy, a plan came to mind and one that
involved some back up.

Returning to her dropped luggage, she reached into a
hidden compartment in her carry-on bag and pulled out her official CIA -
Coalition Intelligence Agency - documents and badge. Stepping up to the deputy,
she flashed her credentials and said, “Put me in contact with Deputy Jenny
Cunningham….now!”

*   *   *   *   *

DJ was shocked at how easy it had been to slip onto
the shuttle and hop a ride to the factory. Of course, they had acted like they
belonged and had quickly disappeared into the bowels of the ship. Once they
were safe, Jax donned the Red Falcon armor after much urging from DJ. The
former pirate was too well recognized to pass himself off as a guard but DJ
wasn’t.

The plan was simple. He would act as the Red
Falcon’s prisoner until they could liberate a guard’s uniform. Then, DJ would
be escorting the bounty hunter to a bogus meeting with Kassinger. Most guards
have no idea what is going on above their pay grade and really don’t care much.
If they were confident in their actions and didn’t do anything blatantly wrong,
they should be able to get past all the lower level guards.

DJ personally preferred the second option where he
was dressed as a guard since that would mean he was armed but they had to plan
for both occasions, just in case. Even as he explained his plan, Iaido’s
parting words came back to him: if you fail to plan, then you are planning to
fail.

DJ continued to instruct Jax in the use of the CSA
armor until the shuttle docked. Taking a deep breathe the two men stepped out
and expected to be greeted by questions and stares. They got neither.

Everyone’s attention, guards and workers, was
focused on the small fleet of Raptors as they taxied to land nearby. They were
older models but still very tough ships and each bore the symbol of the Jolly
Rogers. A human skull above two long bones set in an x-mark arrangement on a
black field. DJ counted ten raptors and a solid black Condor. The last ship was
less of a starfighter and more of an armored personnel carrier, not to say that
it wasn’t armed or couldn’t dogfight; DJ had seen some fancy flying of Condors
in his time in the Marines. It was just larger than the starfighters and just
slightly bigger than the Aetós.

Even as they watched the pirates disembarked from
their ships. The whole bunch looked tough but the leader looked brutal. Dressed
all in black, the towering figure of a leader took the whole skull motif to an
extreme. He had chrome skulls on each shoulder and the toes of his boots. Even
from this distance, DJ could count four guns and a huge blade of some sort over
his left shoulder. DJ would’ve studied the pirate a bit more but his eyes, and
everyone else’s, were drawn to the redhead who climbed out of the Condor. She
was extremely busty and worn skintight black and red leather which greatly
accented her figure. She also sported a two gun rig and she had the look that
she knew how to use them. When she walked up to the pirate leader, DJ could
tell that she was so short that even the two inch heels on her boots barely
brought her up to his shoulder.

Jax tapped his arm. “We need to get out of sight
before they notice us.”

DJ nodded and the two moved across the flight
deck. “Friends of yours?”

“Once upon a time. The big guy is Mörder. He’s a
sadistic bastard and as blood thirsty as they come. The redhead is Hurricane
Venus. Don’t underestimate her. She’s as deadly as she is beautiful.”

DJ nodded.

Jax’s voice seemed slightly far away as he
muttered. “I’m not sure why she’s here. She isn’t really the type to raid and
pillage. She is more like the Venus flytrap; lure her unsuspecting prey in
close and then strike suddenly.”

“Sounds like an old girlfriend of mine.”

Jax guffawed. “Yes.”

DJ was unsure if he was agreeing to his joke or
admitting that she was an old girlfriend. But before he could ask, Pridgen made
an appearance. Flanked by five of his SIS thugs, the dwarf shook hands with the
giant pirate and led them inside.

DJ nodded. “Now I know why the Coalition has been
having problems with the pirates. They’re being funded by Titan Avionics. And
with their connections, they would know the location and strength of all the
patrols.”

“Damn. I wish I had had access to Raptors when I
was pirating. All we had were Sparrows.” Jax shook his head. “No, I cannot
afford to think like that. I’m never going back to that life.”

DJ placed a comforting hand on Jax’s shoulder. Not
that he could feel it since he was wearing the Red Falcon armor but it was the
thought and gesture that counted. Seeing the pirates and the dwarf disappear
into the factory complex, DJ slipped on his mock restraints and assumed a
defeated posture.