MoonRush (45 page)

The
Eclipse
began to glide out in pursuit of the
Eureka
, the police forces parting around them like the Red Sea. Except that Gil and his group were the forces of the pharaoh, and this time they were going to win. No
one in
that ragtag band of sheepherders was going to escape. Gil began to hum a tune to himself, “We Are the Champions
.
” Quite fitting, really.

In spite of all of the setbacks, Gil’s day was finally starting to look up.

* * *

The myriad of police cruisers behind them, Buton turned back to making sure that their aging ship could make it to the planet’s surface. He calculated, then recalculated,
and
calculated once again
—
and each time he came up with the same conclusion. It would take a minor miracle for them to escape with their lives.

Par for the course.

The
Eureka
passed by the ruined carcass of the destroyed space station, a grim and eerie reminder of what could have happened. Or, as Buton was beginning to fear, a gruesome
prophecy
of what awaited them planetside. The thread that held them on this side of life was thin and easily broken.

The ship groaned as Jarod course-corrected. Ah
,
yes…one additional consideration. The thread was also very old, had crashed multiple times
,
and was currently held together by duct tape and the collective will of the crew. Buton glanced
toward
the navigation center
’s direction.
Rob was currently flipping through the
C
able
N
et programming, checking out what was happening back on their home planet.

Buton was
at
the point of calling Rob away from his surfing to help out with some possible repairs when the young man stopped on a specific channel and called out to his uncle.

“Hey, Jarod, take a look…
!
”

The newscaster was one
who
they were all familiar with. A smug-looking Brandi Broadhope had apparently graduated from the fluff pieces to the more serious news. She spoke to the camera with a newfound… and rather ill
fitting…sense of gravitas. “They call themselves Rogues Incorporated. Word from the Lunar News Service is
that
this band of pirates has escaped with a cache of
S
tar
D
iamonds. Though other reports say it is one huge diamond…a veritable mother lode.”

Rob flipped to another feed, where another equally self-satisfied reporter spoke to the camera. Buton wondered for a moment if arrogance were perhaps a prerequisite for correspondents. That and perfect teeth.

This newscaster painted the Rogues with an even dirtier brush. “These internationally infamous ‘treasure seekers’ were previously detained by the Bahamian government for their looting of what officials there call a ‘historically significant site
.
’ No word yet on whether or not the
S
tar
D
iamonds in their possession were obtained through theft or extortion. The Rogues are wanted for questioning by the U
.
S
.
G
overnment.”

Jarod yelled at the screen. “How’d they find out?”

“Please. We weren’t exactly subtle about our departure.” Cleo’s tone was dry enough to rival the Sahara.

The
Eureka
listed to the
port
side suddenly as a sleek and muscular shuttle came within feet of ramming into them. Proximity
K
laxons blared and lights lit up the nav board. Their radio crackled to life. “This is the
Eclipse
. You are under arrest. Release your guidance control, and we will guide your descent and land you at Edwards Air Force Base.”

The signal volume seemed unnaturally boosted, the voice echoing through the hold. It gave the voice an authority well beyond that of its unaided power. The reverberating voice was what Buton imagined Shiva might sound like, if Shiva were aboard some government
-
owned spaceship flying through the void of space.

Jarod waved his hand over the controls of the communication band, cutting off the signal
and
the lingering echoes. He muttered back at the speakers.

“The hell you will.” He pivoted in his seat, waving the crew together for an impromptu huddle. He spat out his suspicions with no preamble.

“Something’s up here. What’s their angle?”

“I concur. For a government vessel to act in this way is irrational without some external motivator. There are too many opportunities for observers to document the indiscretion,” Buton
said,
add
ing
his concern to Jarod’s.

“Exactly! It doesn’t make sense. Why does the government want us?”

Rob, who was still keeping an eye on the news feed, replied by
pointing
once more at the screen. “Look!”

A grainy and obviously homemade video played out with the newscaster’s voice overlapping the footage. The video depicted a strange rainbow-colored laser bursting out of a mountainside and cutting through a tree on the other side of a parking lot.

“This just in. Amateur footage of a super-laser fueled by star diamonds was released to the media. Word from LNS is that Rogues Incorporated may actually be a terrorist group
—
”

Buton winced at the label of “terrorist
.
”
His people had spent way too many decades combating that particular appellation. At least they now knew why the government was harassing them. Jarod barked over the top of the feed.

“Turn that garbage off
!
” He turned to Buton. “Damn it all to hell
!
Can they actually build a weapon like that from
S
tar
D
iamonds?”

The ship rocked as the
Eclipse
let off a warning shot across their bow.

Jarod yelled at the ceiling. “Do you know how tired I am of people shooting at us?”

Buton glanced down at the instruments to verify that they had not taken any damage. With the
Eureka
in its current state of disrepair, it was hard to tell for certain, but they seemed to have avoided anything overt. He switched over to his laptop to do some calculations on the diamond laser.

Simon grabbed Jarod by the arm. “I’d quit griping and try some evasive maneuvers.”

While Jarod did his best with that directive, the ship shaking and screeching her protests, Buton did what he could to keep typing.

After several more near misses and a bruised elbow from bumping into the hull, Buton had some answers. He did not like any of them. He called up to Jarod.

“Extrapolating from the broadcast and knowing the largest crystals so far discovered was 8.3
karats
, a crystal as large as ours could produce a beam so powerful…” Buton found he could not continue speaking past the obstruction in his throat.

A moment later, Jarod turned back, aware that Buton was not going to continue on his own.

“Buton?” The question was clear in his voice.

Buton responded as best he could, clearing his throat to get past the emotion.

“Equipped on a war satellite, our crystal could vaporize an entire country.”

The entire crew fell silent. Cleo finally spoke in a subdued tone.

“What have we found?”

Buton answered in the only way he could. “A planet destroyer.”

* * *

The fire
show was impressive, Weigner could not deny. The rockets’ red glare. The bombs bursting in…well, in the vacuum of space. It would have made Dr. Weigner feel almost patriotic if it weren’t for the fact that with every passing moment his super-laser was at more risk. The
Eureka
dodged and spun in an erratic pattern to avoid the barrage of firepower the
Eclipse
was sending her way. With every bob and weave, the doctor felt himself wince. With every explosion, he almost had to turn away.

Dr. Weigner had been more than patient. He had allowed Stavros to maintain his leadership, even when it was clear
that
the man had no idea what he was doing up here. He had only challenged Stavros when it was absolutely necessary. He had dealt with the constant military escorts and being treated like excess baggage.

Weigner had now had it with these military types. As another round of warning shots flashed past the fleeing ship, he called out to Stavros.

“Careful with the weapons! That last volley was too damned close!”

The captain bristled. “Doctor, do not tell me how to
—
”

Weigner infused his voice with all the disdain he could muster. This man was threatening their entire operation with his military ego. Pretentious peacock.

“If that shuttle goes down in the Atlantic, do you want to be the one to hunt for it through thousands of acres of ocean bottom?”

For once, the greasy treasure hunter said something useful. Gil stepped into the conversation as if he belonged.

“Trust me, Captain, you don’t…”

Unfortunately, the man’s comments did nothing to help the situation. If possible, the captain’s back got even more stiff and straight.

“My orders are
—
”

“To assist me in obtaining the crystal!” Weigner got up close and personal. When it came to science, he had no fear. Especially not of trite troglodytes like this one. He stood nose to nose with Stavros, close enough to see the hairs growing out of the man’s nostrils. Weigner almost whispered his next words.

“Now get them in line, Captain, and force them to land.”

The military man bridled at the direct order, but after a moment complied. Weigner refrained from letting a smile cross his face. At the end of the day, it was good to know where the power resided.

Science truly did reign supreme.

* * *

Buton was fascinated in a sick way by what poured over the feed. Newscasters and pundits contemplated and expounded upon scenario after scenario of what the new “super weapon” could be capable of. Buton was certain everyone involved was severely underestimating what the laser could do.