Vaughn Heppner - The Lost Starship

“She’s from the Rouen Colony,” Dana said. “They’re miners, and they’re a clever bunch. Meta is an engineer. She can fix anything you give her.”

“Fine,” Maddox said, even as he still considered his options.

“Another thing—” Dana said.

“Shut up and listen,” Maddox told her. “Once we’re aboard, you’re going to have to figure out a way to hack into a space beacon.”

“Do you have any idea what you’re asking?”

“I do indeed, Doctor. You’re a computer genius, a hacker and a tech thief. This is your area of specialty.”

Dana’s dark eyes seemed to glow with resentment. Even so, she gave a curt nod.

“Another thing,” Maddox said. “On the ship, you’ll both wear security anklets. It will be on a probationary basis until I can trust you.”

“I see the ship!” Keith shouted, pointing past the tallest tree.

Before Maddox could look, his comm-unit beeped a warning. Lifting it to his mouth, he asked, “Lieutenant?”

“There are people coming your way,” Valerie said, “a lot of them.”

“Right,” Maddox said. “I want you to land… one hundred meters from my position. Crush whatever you have too to get down.”

“Those are some big trees, sir.”

“You can squeeze in,” he said.

“Those people I talked about,” Valerie said, “they’re coming fast, sir.”

“Use the cannons on them, Lieutenant. The weapons are there for a reason.”

“Roger, sir,” Valerie said, sounding grim.

As a shadow passed overhead, Maddox looked up at the scout. He’d never seen anything so beautiful. They were actually going to leave Loki Prime.

The antigravity pods hummed. Then the twin cannons spat shells. Explosions, crashing trees and screams told Maddox how near the mob was—almost on top of them. He was thankful for the thick foliage slowing the mob. Seconds later, the cannon firing stopped, and the scout came down.

“You,” Maddox said, pointing his gun at Meta. “Help the sergeant.”

Splintering sounds and a thud shook the ground. A hatch opened. The comm-unit squawked, and Lieutenant Noonan said, “I’m down, sir. Let’s go.”

Maddox needed no more urging than that.

The first people broke through foliage as Keith scrambled through a boarding hatch. Meta helped Sergeant Riker, and Dana staggered after them. Maddox brought up the rear.

The Loki Prime criminals shouted for them to stop, like lost souls in Hell screaming for a reprieve. The desperate cries chilled Maddox. He glanced back. Men and women were equally red-faced with their mouths opened as wide as possible. Several aimed flintlocks, firing. Puffs of smoke appeared. Wooden pellets rattled against Geronimo’s outer skin.

Meta pushed Riker ahead of her, clambering in after him. Dana rushed to the hatch, diving through. Maddox came in next. A pellet followed, ricocheting around the hall but thankfully striking no one.

Maddox would have shut the hatch, but he had other worries.

Meta whirled around with determination etched on her wide face. What she meant to do was anyone’s guess. Before she could reach Maddox, Sergeant Riker’s bionic arm yanked her back, causing her to stumble.

Under normal circumstances, Maddox might have grinned. The shouting in the distance sounded like those outside Noah’s Ark demanding a berth when the rains first began.

“We’re in,” the captain said over the comm-unit. “Get us out of here, Lieutenant.”

Ship engines whined and antigravity pods hummed. With a lurch, Geronimo lifted.

“Get on your stomachs!” Maddox shouted, aiming his gun at Meta and indicating Dana with his chin.

They hesitated for a half-second. Then, Dana complied and Meta followed suit. Maddox reached out, catching the hatch. The ship was already twenty feet up and climbing. People stared at them, imploring with raised arms. Men and women begged for the ship to return and take them off Loki Prime.

Feeling like a scoundrel but desperately glad to be aboard the scout, Maddox shut the hatch with a clang . He turned the wheel and wanted to relax. He couldn’t, though. There was too much to do still.

Upon entering the ship, Keith had stumbled away and now brought him security anklets. Maddox programmed each, snapping one on Dana’s ankle and another on Meta’s. It was a simple system. For now, the bulky anklet would shock the wearer if she approached the control or engine room too closely.

“Ensign,” he told Keith. “Go pilot the ship. Have the lieutenant plot a course that will avoid the destroyer. If she doesn’t know Saint Petersburg’s location, tell her to find it in a hurry.”

The ace ran down the corridor.

“You,” he told Meta, “in there. If you want to, use the shower. Soon enough, we’ll run you through medical and rid you of Loki germs.”

Meta climbed to her feet and went into the head. Maddox closed the hatch behind her.

“Help him and follow me,” he told Dana.

The doctor guided Sergeant Riker to medical. Maddox took him afterward and hooked the sergeant to the robo-doctor.

“You should let me examine him,” Dana said.

Maddox looked up. “I didn’t realize you were that kind of doctor.”

“I’m full of surprises.”

Maddox thought about it and nodded.

Dana approached the control panel. She examined the readout, and she tapped in commands. Hypos hissed, dosing the sergeant with antibiotics.

“He’s going to be here a few days,” Dana said. “Loki organisms are incredibly resistant to treatment.”

“Is he all right for the moment?” Maddox asked.

“He should be, although I’d like to check up on him in a half-hour.”

“We may not have the luxury,” Maddox said. “You’re coming with me to the control room.”

Dana pointed at her anklet.

“I have a temporary override code,” he said, tapping it in to his control unit. “There, we’re set.”

They exited medical and walked down the corridor. Her anklet beeped, flashing a warning red, and she stopped short. Maddox rechecked his unit. He must have been more exhausted than he realized, as he’d made a mistake.

“There,” he said. “I fixed it.” A green light appeared on her anklet.

Dana gave him an indecipherable glance before opening the hatch. An argument was in progress between Valerie and Keith. The ace sat in the pilot’s chair. The lieutenant tapped her instruments, studying data.

“Enough!” Maddox said, entering behind Dana. “What’s the problem?”

“ Saint Petersburg is upstairs above us,” Keith said. “Valerie is saying to race around the world down here. I say we lift and go just under the high cloud cover. There’s too much air density down here to travel fast enough. That means we’ll crawl, and even though the destroyer has to cover more territory, they’ll match us.”

Inhaling, Valerie likely made ready to explain her view.

“We don’t have time,” Maddox told the lieutenant. To Keith, he said, “Take us up.”

“Sir,” Valerie said, sounding indignant.

“Didn’t you just hear me?” Maddox asked her. “We don’t have time for discussions. You,” he told Dana, “go there.” He indicated his regular spot. “That’s where you’re going to do your magic.”

The doctor sat down and began to familiarize herself with the controls.

Maddox wanted to slide down onto his butt and close his eyes. Now was the time to concentrate, though. Clearly, he faced the most dangerous opponent of his life, the New Man.

“Here’s the situation,” Maddox told Valerie. “At least two New Men are down on the surface. One’s dead. I believe they came down from the Saint Petersburg .”