Read Icarus (Interstellar Cargo Book 1) Online
Authors: Matt Verish
Tags: #firefly, #Adventure, #space exploration, #action, #Space Opera, #dark matter, #icarus, #artificial intelligence
There was another louder, longer, groan from the damaged portion of the space station. A tremor rippled throughout the ICV-71. No one breathed, their eyes affixed to the point of attack.
When several more seconds passed without the incredible force of outer space ripping the S3 apart like tinfoil, Cole sighed. “We really need to discover a better way of escaping corporate space stations.”
Crack!
The sound of the S3’s breached hull had been imperceptible aboard the ICV-71, but the venting of atmosphere became obvious when random loose objects began sliding, rolling, and hurtling through the air toward the new opening.
“So much for relying on the maintenance drone to let us out,” Cole muttered, locking himself into his chair. “Maybe next time you should leave the hypothesizing to us humans.”
“There’s not going to be a ‘next time’,” Emmerich said, also bracing for the inevitable. “Everyone in this hangar is going to die.”
“Always the optimist,” Cole said, reaching out and squeezing Lin’s hand. She looked up at him in shock but did not pull free. “Whaddya think? Two-for-two in daring escapes?” She gave a reciprocation squeeze.
Cole gripped the flight yoke.
The shields are back up! That lucky bastard.
“Get us out of here, Cain!”
The hangar door was already lifting as the ICV-71’s engines thundered to life. The ship rose from the floor, allowing extra time for the maintenance drone to complete its manual task. As the path to freedom revealed itself, it was clear another obstacle would have to be overcome.
It’s like they anticipated our improbable escape,
Cole thought, staring at the patrol ships awaiting their departure. “Activate Stealth and Cloaking, Cain. We’ve got company....”
Their communications system with the space station will yet be offline, though internal surveillance and all manual controls will be functional. I will evade them before the mainframe has reestablished contact.>
“No, Cain,” Cole said, finished with playing second fiddle. “You got lucky once. Leave the heroics to me, and maybe you’ll learn something. Just focus on calibrating our jump...to wherever we’re going. I’ll see us past these clowns.”
Cole recalled the character of Alice Kramden from an ancient situational comedy show people used to watch on giant wooden television sets.
What was her fat husband’s name?
“Noted.” Cole slapped his controls, and the ICV-71 rocketed toward the hangar bay door. “Set the cloaking function to mimic our surroundings when we cross the threshold.”
“I hope you know what the hell you’re doing, Musgrave,” Emmerich said, her voice shaky.
“I don’t believe in Hell.”
The three waiting ships took immediate action. Cole shoved the yoke forward, and the ICV-71 dove sharply alongside the S3’s hull. Danger lurked close behind, though no sign of weapon-lock appeared on the viewport screen. Cole kept the ship as close to the space station as he possibly could to deter a rear assault. Despite enacting both stealth and cloaking modes, he knew some part of the engine’s thrust would be visible to the three trailing vessels that had already spotted their location. And the cloaking function could only process the speeding surroundings with minimal accuracy.
“Maybe you can lose them in the trenches before you launch your torpedoes into the thermal exhaust port,” Emmerich mocked.
Cole laughed as he maneuvered the ship precariously close to the S3. “I never understood how the Empire had made such an egregious error while designing that battle station. Twentieth century films had a bizarre understanding of space aeronautical physics and engineering.”
“Should you be holding a conversation right now?” Lin snapped at Cole.
Cole shrugged. “Hey, it’s not like I had one too many before I got behind the controls. Besides, I perform better under pressure.”
Cole jerked back hard on the yoke before shouting, “Full engine shutdown, Cain!”
The ICV-71’s engines went silent as they continued to pull away from the S3. Without stabilizing thrust, they began to hurtle aimlessly.
“Are you
crazy
!” Emmerich shrieked. “We’ll be easy targets!”
“Not if they can’t locate our engine combustion exhaust. It’s the only thing they’ve been targeting since we launched.”
“But what if they crash directly into—”
The force of three ships passing at critical proximity truncated Emmerich’s sentence. The engine blast of the vessels’ wake scorched the hull and further altered their course. The viewport screen showed their pursuers at a growing distance; the threat had passed.
“Well, Inspector, they didn’t,” Cole said at last. Of course, he had had the same fear.
Better to make them all think I know what I’m doing.
“Now we wait.”
“Just putting a little breathing room between us and them,” Cole said, switching on power to the hull thrusters to right the ship’s course toward the assigned coordinates. He was careful to use minimal thrust so as not to draw unwanted attention. He pretended not to notice Lin’s curious gaze.
“I think it’s
you
who will need to do some explaining,” she said.
Cole nodded, smirking. “Not until we get to the dark side.”
THUD!
“Dammit!” Cole yelled, readjusting the ship’s course. Something large had made contact with the ship’s hull. “I didn’t see anyone coming. Damage report, Cain.”
“Oh, hey, that’s cool,” Cole said, throwing up his arms in agitation. “I’m fine with being on a need-to-know-basis. It’s not like we’re making a daring escape here or anything. Maybe we can make some room for a scout ship with a traitor on board while we’re at it. Oh, wait! We already did that once.”
“Quit your whining, Musgrave,” Emmerich snapped.
“Whining? Who’s whining?” Cole asked as the drone finished its docking sequence. He reengaged the engines and started toward the jump point. “I’m having a
great
time. Cain! Restart ‘Space Truckin’’.”
Deep Purple erupted once more on the loudspeakers. “I
love
this song! Seems appropriate now that we actually have some unexpected cargo. Space truckers... That’s us now! Only we’re the galaxy’s most wanted delivery service. Who needs a solid, well-paying job with a respectable company?
Not me!
I’d rather aid in terrorist activities, infiltrate a dangerous debt colony to free an infamous cult leader, blow up said debt colony, get caught by authorities on Mars, be interrogated by said authorities, and then be freed by a smart-ass AI pilot with an aspiration to flying to the moon for reasons unknown!” He single-clapped his hands and pumped his fists just as the wormhole opened for them.
Cole gazed at both Lin and Emmerich. “Whaddya say, ladies? Are you ready to spend the rest of your fleeting days evading the wrath of the whole of the United System with me?”
Only silence.
“Great! Let’s see how long the wax holds the feathers to this melting bird.”
I
CARUS LOG 001: Concluded
“Despite everything that’s happened, I don’t regret my decision to turn and run. This is who I am now—who I’ll forever be remembered as. And after the Musgrave name finally dies out, the System will finally be
....
”
“A
re these our belongings?”
Lin knelt beside Cole to take a closer look at the crate through which he was rummaging. Inside were various compartments with boxes and plastic containers, all of which were hastily labeled. She recognized her name and the three others, leading to her assumption that this was a collection of evidence. She watched Cole slide out one of the containers with his name scribbled on the lid, though her eyes were upon his hands and forearms as he popped it open.
“It is!” he announced joyfully. He held up his flight jacket, artificial gravity allowing it to unfold and reveal it in all its creased, leather glory. His arms were sliding through the sleeves as a smile spread across his face. He dipped into the pockets and removed a pair of leather gloves. Those were slipped onto his hands faster than the jacket.
Lin removed one of the many boxes belonging to her. She stopped short of opening it and placed it back into the pile. “CAIN must have anticipated our needs prior to having us boarded. All of this cargo—the drone aside—must have some link to us and our venture.”
Cole nodded, looking around the cargo bay. “You’re probably right, but can all of this stuff be tied to us? I mean, could you and the others have had such a large inventory confiscated for investigation?”
“I don’t believe so,” Lin said, shaking her head. “There are too many crates for so recent an investigation.”
Cole approached a row of unmarked crates. “These are different.” He lifted a lid, and his brow bunched in confusion. “Huh.”
Lin was already at his side, intrigued. “Food?”
Cole sighed and shook his head at Lin. “He sure is proud of himself. By any chance did you forget to program an understanding of privacy and eavesdropping?”
Lin was not entirely sure how to answer. She may be CAIN’s “Maker,” but little of the AI’s recent behavior correlated with her initial program design. She never anticipated the possibility of it obtaining true awareness, if that was indeed what was happening. She decided not to answer as they walked back to the original crate.
“O-ho!” Cole reached down and procured a familiar sidearm and holster, both of which he immediately snapped onto his waist to complete his ensemble. “There. Now I’m back to being my old self again.” He dusted himself off. “The interstellar cargo cowboy space trucking pirate.”
Lin blinked. “How are you able to find amusement in a situation that has labeled you one of the System’s most notorious criminals?”
Cole looked at her. “Wisecracking is my way of coping with extreme pressure.” He held out his hand to help her up.
“That might be the biggest load of shit you’ve spewed out of your mouth since I’ve met you, Musgrave,” Emmerich said as she entered the cargo bay. “Don’t play coy with us; your true colors are finally showing, and you know it.” Her eyes fell to his hip. “And that’s my sidearm.”
Cole thrust his hip in Emmerich’s direction. “Not anymore, it isn’t.”
Lin felt a chill go up her neck and spine. She had hoped that any differences between the two would finally be overcome now that they had miraculously escaped from both SolEx and Terracom. The words tumbled out of her Rook before she could rescind them. “He found it packed with his belongings.”
Cole thumbed in her direction and grinned. Emmerich scowled, but the subject. It was then she realized that he must have cowed her into submission during the escape.
“Don’t worry,” Cole said to Emmerich. “The rest of your belongings are probably in here as well.” He slapped the side of the crate before moving back to the supplies. “I’m gonna try and find a hamburger before we make our destination.”
“And just why are we heading for the Moon?” Emmerich asked, her arms folded.
Cole shrugged in response. Lin, however, had a theory. CAIN confirmed it with an answer.
“Rig?” Cole asked. “Um, shouldn’t we be heading for Mars? I seem to recall last seeing him there.” He continued searching the supplies. “Though I’m still not sure how he managed to avoid being captured with the rest of us.”
“I just assumed he was dead,” Emmerich said. “Being a fugitive debtor would make him a marked man.” She crossed her arms and huffed. “Not that it matters; I would’ve put him in the ground myself had I the chance.”
“Aw, I liked the guy,” Cole said in Rig’s defense. “So he gave you a knuckle sandwich. Big deal. You definitely deserved it at the time.” He pulled out a small box and shook it. “Besides, I still haven’t heard a reason as to why we’re going to the Moon to find him.”
“That’s great, Cain,” Cole interrupted. “
Why
are we going to get him?”
“Yeah, because Rig is the almighty knowledge guru,” Cole said mockingly.
“Also...” Lin began, grabbing his attention. She swallowed hard, knowing what she was about to reveal. “I left my father’s Rook in his possession before SolEx authorities came and apprehended us. I entrusted the safety of my family’s legacy to a complete stranger. I would like to reclaim it.”
Cole cast her a queer look, as though he was weighing the validity of her words. He wagged his index finger at her. “Rig never hitched a ride with Forester, did he?”