Revolution: The Ship Series // Book Two (9 page)

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

Where
are we?

They
searched the immediate vicinity, but there was no sign of Kalare or the others
in the nearby tunnels. They wouldn’t have wandered off within the labyrinthine
maintenance network, so that suggested they had left the tunnels and gone into
the main passageways. Zax worried about leaving the tunnels, particularly after
they had just heard a ruckus a few mins ago, but feared losing track of Kalare
far worse.

“Sir—I don’t see what choice we have at this point.
We’ve got to find them.”

“We always have a choice, cadet, but we must be sure
that even when we make the right choice we are making it for the right reasons.
If you hadn’t thrown away my offer of mentorship last year, you’d already be
well familiar with that lesson. What are your reasons for seeking our
companions?”

Just saying “Kalare” would not be an acceptable response
in the Boss’s eyes, even if it was honestly the sum total of Zax’s motivation.
He thought for a moment before answering.

“Because our tactical situation is far better when we
are traveling with a Marine armed with a blaster, sir, even when said Marine is
as injured as Sergeant Bailee.”

“Exactly right, cadet, well done. One hundred credits.
Now, let’s head out the access port over here and see if we can find them.”

Zax momentarily found himself flustered and didn’t
immediately follow behind the Boss. He had zero trust for the murderous Omega
and desired nothing more than to abandon him to his fate in the tunnel network,
but the man’s praise triggered reward centers in Zax’s brain which had been
firmly wired by a lifetime of chasing career advancement. He tried to shake the
feeling off but found it was difficult to do so. It was only one hundred
credits, but having the Boss dole out
any
bonus in the middle of this
disaster made Zax wonder what additional rewards might be in store if he
successfully led the Omega to safety.

He had originally agreed to rescue the Boss primarily to
make Kalare happy, but Zax now glimpsed how doing so could be his ticket back
up the Leaderboard and out of the odorous hell of Waste Systems. They were in
the middle of chaos right now, but there was no way the Marines would fail to
overcome the civilian uprising and Zax had already learned how chaos sometimes
created opportunity. A year ago the Boss had given him 8,000 credits for
patching the panorama in Flight Ops during a battle. Wouldn’t saving his life
from rampaging civilians be worth some multiple of that?

But then Zax thought back to the fate of the Chief
Engineer. The Boss ordering the murder of his fellow Omega was just another
example of how he would stop at nothing to satisfy whatever schemes ran deep in
his mind. The notion he might now turn around and make any meaningful
contribution to Zax’s career standing was absurd.

Zax set aside the foolish delusion and grounded himself
back in the reality of his situation. Getting the Boss to safety was only
valuable because it would get himself and Kalare to safety as well. At least,
if they could find her and the others again. He ran to catch up and did so as
the Boss stopped to listen at the access port.

“I don’t hear anything out there, cadet. I’m going to
open this just enough for you to peek your head out. If you see anyone you
don’t want to see, then pull yourself back immediately. That will be my signal
to slam the hatch shut. If it’s empty, then listen in for a min. If we don’t
hear or see anything, then let’s go on through.”

The Omega opened the hatch and Zax stuck his head out. A
quick glance left and right proved the passageway to be empty as expected. Zax
silently counted to sixty as he listened intently for any noise, but the area
sounded as abandoned as it appeared. He stepped out into the bright light of
the main passage and motioned for the Boss to follow.

“Where are we?”

Zax didn’t hesitate as he knew the area well.
“Compartment 51-F is around that corner, sir. If we head this way instead, it
will put us on the path to reaching Waste Systems Control. I doubt Bailee and
the others know exactly how to get there, but they knew it was our eventual
destination. It seems like the most logical direction for us to head with the
hope of finding them. It’s actually faster in the tunnels, but I think we
should stay in the main passageways and hope we run into them along the way.”

“Agreed. Let’s move out. Take it slow and quiet, cadet,
so we don’t give anyone a chance to hear us coming.”

Zax led the way. At the hatch for each compartment off
the passageway, they halted for a moment and listened before checking inside.
At every turn and intersection of the passage, they paused and checked for
noise beyond before poking their heads around for a quick scan. It made for
extremely slow going but was the prudent approach when you never knew if you
might turn a corner only to find a pack of rebels. What exactly they would do
if they encountered civilians other than run or surrender, Zax had no clue.

Waste Systems was never a bustling hub of activity, but
Zax found it eerie to see it so absolutely deserted. The civilian workers had
clearly heeded the announcement to return to their quarters. Some literally
dropped what they were doing as evidenced by the work materials scattered all
around—a mess that was only exacerbated by the unplanned FTL. The Boss and Zax
moved on as soon as they verified each new compartment was empty, but
eventually the Omega broke the pattern.

“There’s something about this compartment that seems
odd, cadet. Keep watch outside while I check it more thoroughly.”

Zax had no idea why this compartment struck the man as
any more interesting than the others they had quickly checked and left, but he
had long since stopped trying to understand the inner workings of the minds of
Omegas. It would probably be easier to crack the mysteries of the FTL engine
than to decipher why the Ship’s most senior officers did the things they did.
Zax kept his eyes scanning back and forth to check both ends of the passageway
while he listened intently for the slightest noise. A min later the Boss
returned shaking his head.

“Nothing. I thought there was something a little
too
random
about the way the tools and such were scattered around the compartment, but I
didn’t see anything out of the ordinary. Let’s get moving.”

The next compartment appeared to be nothing but more of
the same. Zax had turned to leave when he caught movement out of the corner of
his eye. A shadow darted out of an impossibly small hiding place near the
hatch, and Zax froze not knowing whether to flee or reach for the blade in his
boot. The Flight Boss did not suffer any hesitation. He pounced and tackled the
figure to the ground. A moment later he stood up with what appeared to be a
tiny civilian gripped in a vicious, suffocating headlock. The body was so small
its legs flailed wildly at least half a meter above the deck. The Boss shifted
his position and Zax got a good look at the threat.

“Nolly!”

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

It was delicious, sir.

“Sir
—I
know him! Don’t hurt him! Stop! Please stop!”

Zax was on the verge of striking the Boss when the man
finally reacted to his pleas. Nolly sank to the floor and sobbed between gasps
for air. The Omega looked back and forth between the civilian and Zax a couple
of times before retreating a few steps to stand with his arms crossed and a
bemused expression.

Nolly scampered away as Zax approached but stopped when
he felt a gentle hand on his back. Zax knelt and stroked the boy’s head for a
few mins until his tears had almost entirely subsided. Nolly finally looked up
and Zax gave him a warm smile.

“I’m sorry you got hurt, Nolly, but you scared us. We
didn’t know it was you. What are you doing here? Why didn’t you go back to your
quarters along with everyone else?”

Nolly opened his mouth to speak, but another spasm of
coughs triggered another bout of tears. Zax rubbed the boy’s back until the
crying was gone again. Nolly drew a couple of final large breaths to cement his
calm and then finally spoke.

“I’m s-s-s-s-sorry, s-s-s-s-s-sir, but I didn’t see it
was you and just wanted to g-g-g-get away.”

“Take another minute to breathe, Nolly. It’s OK. You’re
safe. No one is going to hurt you again.”

The Flight Boss cleared his throat and started to tap
his foot impatiently. Zax couldn’t care less. The man
must
have realized
he had a child in that chokehold. What would possess someone to continue to
harm an innocent kid like that—regardless of their current circumstances?

“It’s OK, sir,” Nolly whispered. “I’m better now. Thank
you.”

He sat up and Zax took it as the cue to rise and give
the boy some space. A min later Nolly started his story.

“I listened to Imair’s advice, sir, and took the apple
you gave me to my favorite hiding spot. I come here sometimes if I need to get
away from everyone for a little while. It was delicious, sir. Thank you so very
much. My mouth felt amazing after eating it, so I decided to close my eyes and
enjoy the feeling for just a few mins.

“I must have fallen asleep because when I opened my eyes
and started walking around, I realized I was all by myself. It was spooky. I
heard a group of people talking in the distance, but when I peeked around a
corner I saw it was a big group of angry-looking civilians who all had
blasters. I got scared and turned back to try a different route, but then I
heard more voices approaching so I came back in here to let them pass. It was a
group of three Crew—one Marine with white hair and two cadets.”

Zax glanced at the Boss who raised an eyebrow. Nolly
continued.

“The Marine had a blaster out which made me scared all
over again, so I decided to just stay here and hide in my spot. I was trying to
go back to sleep again when I heard the hatch open and you two walked in. I was
afraid you were looking for me and would tear the compartment apart, so I made
a break for it. You know what happened next.”

Nolly turned in the Boss’s direction and gave him a look
that was equal parts fear and anger. Zax tried to get the boy to focus back on
him.

“Nolly—the last group you saw, the one with the Marine
with the white hair. Which way were they going?”

The boy paused for a moment to think, and then pointed
in the same direction that Zax and the Boss were already headed. Zax sighed
with relief and addressed the Boss.

“That’s great news, sir, at least we know now that we’re
on their trail. We should get moving again.”

Zax turned back to the boy.

“Nolly—I want you to get back into your hiding space,
and I want you to wait—”

“Belay that command, cadet. He’s coming with us.”

Zax looked at the Boss quizzically. The man walked
towards the hatch as he continued.

“He’s seen me down here, and I won’t risk having him run
off to give anyone that intel. He’s clearly your pet so you better keep him in
line. If he gets in the way once…”

The Omega’s words hung in the air and their menace
filled Zax with dread. Nolly was so overjoyed at the realization he would no
longer be alone that he missed the Boss’s threat entirely.

The three of them left the compartment and started down
the passageway. They eventually came to a ladder that would bring them up to
the same level as Waste Systems Control. Zax started up and then motioned for
Nolly to follow. The boy stepped backwards instead.

“No…”

“What?” The Boss went instantly apoplectic. “Get on that
ladder, boy!”

The officer’s harsh tone took whatever trepidation the
young civilian was feeling and increased it to the point that he once again
burst into tears. Zax ignored the officer’s exasperation, jumped off the
ladder, and took a knee to get his face down to the boy’s eye level.

“What’s going on, Nolly? We need to go up that ladder
now, OK? That’s where we’re going.”

The boy slowly shook his head for a while and then
finally looked up at Zax. He choked out an explanation through the tears.

“Up there—that’s where I saw them. The big angry group
with all the blasters.”

Zax sighed in relief. Nolly wasn’t causing trouble, he
was actually helping them out. Zax looked over at the Boss for affirmation of
the boy’s usefulness, but the man’s expression offered nothing. Zax stood and
patted the boy on the shoulder.

“That’s awesome, Nolly, really awesome. Thank you for
helping us avoid that big angry group. We’re not going to make you go up right
now. We’ll take a different path. Let’s go.”

It was a less direct routing, but Zax led them through a
series of passageways and then up a different ladder. Zax eventually motioned
for them to halt and gestured for the Boss to approach.

“Sir,” he whispered, “that hatch at the end of the
passageway is Waste Systems Control.”

“OK, cadet, good work. I’ll hang back with the boy. I
want you to recon and make sure your supervisors are still alone.”

The Boss stepped back and put a hand on Nolly’s shoulder
to keep him in place. The boy visibly recoiled from the man’s touch but managed
to stay calm. Zax stalked down the passage until he was right up against the
hatch.

He barely made out voices, but they were definitely
still in there. Zax heard Salmea and Westerick during his initial min of
eavesdropping and was about to motion for the Boss and Nolly to join him when a
third, more muffled voice joined the conversation. Zax held his breath and
listened more intently in an attempt to identify the speaker, but the person
was either too far away from the hatch or talking more quietly than the Waste
Systems officers.

Zax reached for the hatch and opened it a seemingly
imperceptible crack. Before he could do anything more, the hatch exploded open
and Zax was flung backwards only to be immediately lifted off the deck by a
hand gripped around his throat. He stared down the barrel of a blaster and
recognized Sergeant’s Bailee red face glaring at him from the other end. After
a tense moment, the man released his hold on Zax and grimaced as he switched
the blaster back to his uninjured arm.

“It’s about time. What took you so long to get here?”