Icarus (Interstellar Cargo Book 1) (14 page)
Read Icarus (Interstellar Cargo Book 1) Online
Authors: Matt Verish
Tags: #firefly, #Adventure, #space exploration, #action, #Space Opera, #dark matter, #icarus, #artificial intelligence
Cole had wondered as much. He swore. “I guess we’ll have to make our pesky toys count to buy us time to pull away.” He faced a nervous Rig. “Are you regretting hitching a ride with us ‘crazy’ people?”
The mechanic shrugged. “Either way, I’ll be dead.”
“That’s the spirit!”
“The scout?”
“Ganging up on us, eh? Putting the terror in Terracom.” Cole had to laugh at the insanity of the situation. How had it all come to this? “We’re little more than target practice for these guys out here with nowhere to hide. Release as you see fit, Cain, but I want no casualties.”
Cole considered making a mad dash for the Terraport to give the fighters pause, but he knew the ICV-71 would never make it in time. There was also no telling if more Kobold-2s would be deployed. Avoiding two fighters would be difficult enough.
“Terracom wants to grind us into space dust, Nugget,” Rig said, interrupting Cole’s train of thought. “If you’re lookin’ for a consolation prize....”
Cole’s glare silenced the mechanic. “This isn’t my fight. I didn’t ask to be a part of this.” He indicated all around him. “I’m just trying to set things right. We don’t need to add to the debt colony debacle.” A quick, bright flash appeared on the viewport screen.
“What?” Cole grabbed the console. He zoomed in on the origin of the fizzled explosion and enhanced the image. There was no sign of the fighter or debris. “I told you—”
“I have yet to disperse any artillery. It would appear friendly fire is the likely cause of its destruction.>
Cole zoomed in further and focused on the scout ship, which had already lining up behind the unsuspecting Kobold-2. In a last second desperate maneuver, the fighter made a hard barrel role to pull away from the fray. The scout’s auto cannon appeared to have grazed the Kobold-2’s hull, but it remained intact. The fighter continued away from its initial course, heading back toward the Terraport.
Cole’s gloved hands clenched, the leather creaking. “Cain. Who’s aboard that scout ship?”
CAIN said.
“Who is this?” Cole demanded, annoyed at the timidity in his voice.
“Open the payload bay door, Musgrave. I need to dock with the ICV-71.”
Cole’s jaw fell. “Arthur! You mysterious sonofabitch! What are you doing out there?”
“Contemplating destroying one of your engines, at the moment,” the director said dryly. “The door, Musgrave?”
“Of course!” He was about to give CAIN the order when a thought occurred to him. “Um, are you going to fit?”
“We’re about to find out,” he said with uncertainty. “I’m in position beneath you.”
Cole looked up toward the viewport. As usual, the AI anticipated his thoughts.
“You hear that, Arthur?” Cole asked.
“I have no choice.”
“He’ll kill us all,” Rig said, revealing his opinion on the matter. “Can’t risk it.”
“Who else is there with you?” Forester asked.
“Mr. Richter Solomon the mechanic. He’s a former debtor and fellow Terracom hater.” He smiled. “You’ll like him.”
“You have my blessing.” Cole leaned close to the console. “Arthur. I assume you heard that as well?”
There was a pause. “I did. Is such a decision wise considering prior circumstances?”
“Bah! A lot’s changed since you went AWOL.”
“That was less than an hour ago, and I specifically explained my—”
“It seems I have no choice in the matter,” Forester muttered.
Several moments of tense silence passed as complete faith was placed in the untested AI. What began as a dull hum, grew to a buzzing crescendo as the scout’s thrusters neared the insides of the ICV-71. A terrifying thud indicated the docking arm connecting with its intended target, and the entire ship shuddered. The force of the tremor was so great, that Cole closed his eyes and braced himself for the end.
And the end did come, but it was not what he expected.
The shuddering eased until all that remained was the gentle whirring of the twin engines. Cole dragged both gloved hands across his face and exhaled an exceptionally loud sigh of relief. He expected to find a new streak of gray when he next looked in the mirror. He turned to the mechanic, who was equally relieved.
“Good thing that bay was empty, eh?”
Cole couldn’t agree more. “It’s a good thing we have Cain on our side. Otherwise we’d be dead.” A brief image of the ICV-71 shredding like cheap tinfoil and his frozen body forever floating through space flashed in his mind. He gripped his arm rests to conceal his slight trembling.
“Maybe you believe that, but this ship is a prototype, built by imperfect beings.” Cole stood, his knees weak. “No offense, Cain, but you still have a lot to learn before you can make any assumptions about people you’ve never met.”
“CAIN is a fast learner.”
Cole spun around to find both Lin and her repaired Rook entering the bridge. There was a hint of a sad smile on the corners of her pert lips. He returned the smile. “Hey, Doc.”
Lin nodded, the familiar mask of indifference smothering her rare show of emotion. “How long before we jump?”
The Dark Matter Processor is now active and releasing the necessary energy needed to transmit the trajectory coordinates to our destination and open our path. Wormhole travel is imminent.>
“What he said.” Cole stepped away from the console to meet Lin. “Your partner-in-crime just docked with us,” he said, stopping within arm’s length of her. He saw her brow furrow and wondered if it was from his close proximity or the news of the director’s unexpected return.
I’m sure my stress sweat smells wonderful to her.
Lin nodded. Her eyes flicked over to the mechanic whose hungry stare made her squirm. “My father passed away during the battle,” she said just above a whisper. She lifted the item in her hands.
Cole recognized the second cube as the one that had been attached to Kingston. “I’m sorry.” He made no mention of the peculiar procedure she had been performing when he had visited her. He also did not acknowledge the obvious: the mission was a complete failure. Thousands of lives had been sacrificed unnecessarily for the one man who had caused their deaths. Rage and disgust should have filled him, but he felt strangely empty and unconcerned. It made no sense.
Cole expected to see him disheveled and covered in blood and bruises. What he saw was surreal. Forester strode forward with his usual calculating presence, unmolested and with no noticeable blemish of any kind. In fact, he looked as though he had just stepped away to use the restroom and nothing more.
“Both of you have a LOT of explaining to do.” Cole pointed to him and Lin in turn and shook his head before returning to his chair. He looked up just as the DMP worked its technical marvel. The parting and collapsing of a confined area of the black sea that was space itself signified their departure was at hand. Cole had never been more pleased at the prospect of returning to his solar system than he was right now. “But first, let’s get out of here before Terracom mounts another assault.”
Cole raised his arm and pointed for emphasis. “Take us home, Cain.”
RIGGED
M
ars reared its ugly terraformed head, the alternate rendezvous destination for the crew of the ICV-71. There would be no returning to the SolEx Space Station now that everyone aboard was a wanted criminal in some capacity. While he may have been coerced into assisting the coup, he was well aware that some of his actions were questionable, and he would be viewed as an accomplice at the very least. The blackmail hanging over his head only worsened his situation. True, the rescue was ultimately a success, but the real mission was only beginning.
The familiar warm glow of the Thermal Towers dotted and illuminated the surface. Mars was a cold planet, and no amount of terraforming could replicate the Sun’s proximity to Earth. Terracom, for all their corrupt tendencies, were scientific geniuses. Along with shaping the red planet to become Earth 2.0, they also mastered the art of efficiently harnessing energy and distributing it across the surface. The cost to maintain a second habitable blue marble? Well, Cole assumed it had something to do with bribed government officials and his gouged paycheck.
The ICV-71 displayed its custom SolEx logo upon entering into the planet’s atmosphere. Cole was assured by both Lin and Forester that the delivery vessel would attract little or no attention. That, coupled with the proper company entry codes offered by CAIN to any questioning spaceports, would make them appear official. For a time, at least. Even if they remained hidden, Rig’s ocular tether to Terracom would eventually draw unwanted attention. Another variable unforeseen by Lin.
The ship soared above bustling martian cities, CAIN in complete control. The AI adhered to secret coordinates previously installed by the crafty engineer long before Cole ever set foot inside the bridge. He wondered what other sort of backup plans Lin had devised inside that genius mind of hers. Did his freedom ever enter into her consideration?
A unique silhouetted structure rose on the horizon, and Cole knew it was their destination. Sure enough, the ship slowed and dipped low toward the unidentified location. As they approached, Cole understood why this particular place had been chosen: seclusion. The compound appeared abandoned and was in a remote area a short distance from the base of the System’s largest known inactive volcano.
Cole shook his head, impressed. “Your home base is the defunct Olympus Mons National Park nature center?” He turned to regard Lin, whose attention was solely upon the viewport. He could have sworn he saw a hint of a smile tease the crook of her mouth.
“I don’t need a history lesson, Cain,” Cole said, laughing. “I still remember it happening when I was a kid. My dad brought me here once when I was little.” He frowned at the memory, suddenly yearning for a simpler time before being dishonorably discharged and lured into a ludicrous plot to rescue a brilliant psycho.
The ICV-71 landed beside the building, and CAIN did a quick scan for any intelligent life forms within the immediate vicinity. The reading came up empty, and the crew prepared to disembark. All except Cole.
“We should bring Emmerich with us,” he said to no one in particular.
Lin and Forester shared an uncertain look, but it was Rig who spoke. “Who’s that?”
“You’d like her. She’s an ex-military inspector for SolEx who has a major axe to grind with Terracom,” Cole explained. “She helped to organize the hijacking of this ship and had plotted to blow up the Terraport we so recently ditched. That is, until she got double-crossed by those two.” He pointed toward Lin and Forester, then removed the sidearm on his hip. “She pointed this at my face, so I broke her wrist and stuffed her in one of the bunks.” He purposely left out the clumsy encounter he had with Emmerich prior to Lin enacting her plan.
Rig nodded. “Sounds like this Emmerich had the right idea.”
“Yeah, well you can help me bring her off this ship. She probably won’t be able to walk since I twisted her ankle.” Cole ignored Rig’s confused expression and started for the hallway to where the inspector was being held.
“The inspector cannot be trusted,” Forester said, stepping into Cole’s path. “She’s a dangerous radical with powerful associates. Her connections were the only reason we sought her out to begin with.”
Cole stared hard at the director, tempted to reach out and move the slender man aside. “A radical that cannot be trusted, you say? Sorta like you?”
Forester frowned. “Need I remind you that—”
“That you’re holding incriminating evidence over my head?” Cole finished for him, taking a step closer. “No, Arthur, I haven’t forgotten.” He turned his head partway toward the viewport. “Cain.”
“Display archived footage of Inspector Emmerich’s initial arrival.”
The viewport switched over to a video screen which showed the AI’s perspective of the events during which the coup was first enacted. The room’s occupants watched in stunned silence as the not-so-distant-past played out in incriminatingly high definition. Rig gazed in amusement, taking in the spectacle with great joy, even laughing at times. Cole couldn’t help but smile at the mechanic. Even more enjoyable were the looks of dismay on the faces of Lin and Forester. He knew that the tide had turned in his favor.
“You see, I too have damning evidence,” Cole said, turning back toward Forester. “Only mine is probably a bit more convincing than whatever it is you concocted.” He crossed his arms. “I enacted the recorder shortly after Cain went self-aware. I wanted to back up my claim to have piloted the ship all by myself in case an inquiry was conducted. I never thought I would need it to clear my name of any wrongdoing in a conspiracy to free a criminal mastermind.”