Wanting to debunk Kassad's suspicions Greene
pressed for details asking, "And you think they're waiting to take
a shot at us once we clear Law's End?"
Another bitter laugh escaped Kassad. "Oh no, I
think they'll take a shot at us the second we're in range and then
take the debris into custody once we drift to the other side."
It was clear even to Greene's disbelieving mind
that Kassad had given serious thought to this but she couldn't
reconcile his opinion with the universe as she understood it. "But
why?"
With matter-of-fact seriousness Kassad
answered, "Because this was an illegal research program."
"No." Greene said flatly no willing to believe
she'd been involved in something illegal and not wanting to believe
that their pilot had gone delusional. "No, it wasn't. I worked on
this program. It was University funded and approved."
Working to force the self fusing connectors
onto the cable ends Kassad nodded, "Oh, it may have been conducted
with University resources, but it wasn't approved, at least not the
true research goal. When the University found out, either someone
with a pang of conscience on the team tipping them off or maybe
someone did an inventory check that came up short, either way they
killed the program. Probably sent the Lawship to make sure it
stayed dead."
"Oh really?" Greene responded condescendingly.
"So what was the true research goal?"
Pairing up the cable ends he'd created which
joined with a satisfying clicking noise Kassad admitted, "I don't
know, couldn't get Savorne to come clean, but I think whatever it
was resulted in Law's End shifting a few dozen light seconds.
Whatever that was there are people willing to let a research crew
die for it, and it's no stretch from there to believe that they're
willing to kill over it. Although I couldn’t say if it's because
they want the research for themselves or they're trying to keep it
out of someone else's hands."
Now faced directly with all this circumstantial
evidence Greene had to admit to herself that it didn't add up, but
she wasn't willing to buy into Kassad's story completely and so she
asked, "Okay then, even if all of that is true, why can't you
trigger the jump drive?"
Trying and failing to keep the anguish out of
his voice Kassad revealed, "I don't think my eyes are going to make
it. Everything has already moved to looking flat and two
dimensional in addition to being colorless. On top of that my
hearing is mostly gone. Everything sounds like its coming to me
through a long tunnel."
Even if Greene gave Kassad the benefit of the
doubt it didn't lean his actions any more merit. "Then we're
doomed. You said it yourself. They'll have your engines tracked the
second we lift off all the way out."
Climbing out of the equipment pit Kassad
replied indignantly, "I know more than one trick to slip past a
blockade."
"I guess the right person for this job really
was a…" Greene stopped herself, catching Canis' concerned look out
of the corner of her eye. "A person of your skill set." She finally
concluded and then asked as Kassad returned the access plate to
cover the hole in the cockpit wall/floor. "So what do we do after
that? Where can we go? Won't the Lawship track us down?"
Taking a moment to coddle his aching jaw Kassad
finally replied, "Rescue missions legally have broad discretion as
to where to drop off survivors, and I was thinking Mareville would
work nicely."
The name was completely unfamiliar to Greene
who inquired, "What's Mareville?"
In tones that spoke of a depth of familiarity
his words could only hint at Kassad said, "Some time ago a few
enterprising spacers built a community around six old Mobile
Automated Resource Extractors, 'Mares' hence Mareville."
"I remember those vaguely from history studies
ages ago." Greene said, recalling that what she'd read indicated
that the relics had been out of service for a millennia or more.
"They were built during the age of war so our species could quickly
build up their resources, but the things were inefficient plus we
all know how spacers feel about automation taking their jobs."
Tapping in the plot path equations for the
autopilot to use for the trip Kassad explained, "Well, the
Mareville settlement managed to make it work. It's just sixty jumps
if we stay off the warp drive, which will make it harder to track
us." Kassad was rewarded by a series of lights on the console that
lit up to indicate the instructions had been accepted. "Anyway
they've been using the Mares to break down planetoids to sell off
the processed matter of the Horsehead Nebula back in the old Milky
Way galaxy. They've got quite a set up. Basically an artificial
world with all the amenities including state of the art medical,
and their very own sponsored Lawship whose captain I happen to
know."
So far the only part of the plan that Greene
liked was that it involved them leaving Lawless space. "Can I dare
to hope you're on good terms with this Lawship captain?"
With a wry expression Kassad admitted, "Last
time I saw her she was in a law court where she was trying to have
Sabha seized and myself committed to a rehabilitation colony. But
she's honest and won't shoot someone trying to surrender."
Not liking any aspect of the situation Greene
couldn't offer a better alternative and instead simply asked,
"That's from personal experience?"
Raising his eyebrows in introspection Kassad
admitted, "Twice." Not wanting Greene to develop strange notions
about his outlaw status Kassad relented to explain, "I was working
for the Mareville spacer's guild. They had a disagreement with the
automated shipping preferences of one of their buyers." Spacer
opposition to being replaced with automation was a battle that had
resulted in actual fighting more than once in history. "As a result
the buyer may have ended up purchasing the same ore more than
once."
Incredulously Greene summarized Kassad's story,
"They hired you to rob their own shipments?"
"Welcome to Laniakea." Kassad shrugged.
"Anyway, Lawships aren't supposed to care about their sponsor's
interests when it comes to enforcing the law, but in this case
those sponsors were able to bring out a couple dozen witnesses that
said I was drinking it up in one of the local pubs at the time in
question."
Rolling her eyes at the story she couldn't
bring herself to fully believe Greene replied simply saying,
"Nice."
"I don't even drink. Nasty stuff." Kassad
commented absently as he concluded his navigational course
settings. "Anyway, we should be good to go, so strap yourself in
and let's get out of here."
There was nothing to be said in reply to that.
So eager was Greene to be out of Lawless space that in her haste to
strap in she made a tangle of the buckles. Sabha's engines were
revving pushing the ship upward against Alone's modest pull, and
breaking free of contact as Greene finally secured the last of the
restraints.
Sabha's engines lifted her on super heated
exhaust that once again melted the ground beneath them. Fused rock
and sand, still hot from the landing, melted, ran, and deformed
under the onslaught. As Sabha finally and mercifully transitioned
to forward flight the land quickly re-solidified in the shape of a
smooth shallow bowl.
Forward thrust rapidly accumulated forward
velocity and in seconds the debris of the survivor's camp was
behind them. Altitude soon joined speed in a contest for ever
greater numbers. As the world's primary reemerged in reverse sunset
over the receding horizon Kassad throttled up to full. Powering
through the atmosphere left a contrail of expanding water vapor
that rapidly expanded to a kilometer in width. Sharply pointing
Sabha's nose upward resulted in a shuddering buffeting that rapidly
receded as they pulled free of the atmosphere entirely.
In the wire frame display Greene watched as
Alone fell away from them. Their own sense of movement was limited
to the pressure holding them lightly in their seats. This left the
unmistakable impression that everything else was moving as they
remained still.
Ahead of them Greene couldn't help but notice
the icon representing the system's primary grew closer. "Kassad, is
flying into that star part of your plan?"
Finalizing the minutia of the course trajectory
for the automated navigation to enact Kassad sighed in exasperation
at Greene's constant demanding inquisitiveness. "Technically we'll
just be flying into its corona. We'll build up tremendous velocity
in the dive and for a minute or so in the corona we'll disappear
from their sensors in all the background noise. Then after a last
second course tweak out of view of the Armhamon we shut off the
engines and slingshot out of the system. With engines cold, our
trajectory obscured, and any luck at all we'll be back in Laniakea
before anyone on the Armhamon can pick us up again."
******
"I have track on the Sabha." The Armhamon's
sensor operator crowed with satisfaction. "Lifting free of Alpha
Lima One Nine Four Beta's atmosphere and taking course…" he trailed
off in a long pause.
Annoyed by the sudden cessation of the report
the Deck Officer complained, "I've got my finger on the button to
call the captain and update them the second we regained contact, as
ordered. Do you have the Sabha or not?"
Embarrassed by the delay the Armhamon's sensor
operator explained, "I have them sir, just verifying the
course."
Interrupting the Deck Officer the hard voice of
the Armhamon's captain cut further discussion off. "What
course?"
The sensor operator answered uncertainly, "The
Sabha is on course for the system primary." In a rare display of
their face the sensor operator looked up from their console.
"They're flying into the star."
In response to this news Captain Andrews cursed
vehemently.
Preemptively surrendering the command chair the
Deck Officer provided his best analysis of the situation in a vain
effort to please his captain. "So, the neural degeneration must be
affecting them. It must have driven them insane, right?"
Captain Andrews scowled at the obliviousness of
her officer but kept her rebuke mild so as to remain unpredictable
which she'd found a useful tool in controlling her crew. "No, it's
an old smuggler's trick." She snorted derisively. "More like a
desperate ploy. They'll try to lose us in the star's corona and
drift out of the system powered down."
The Armhamon's sensor operator, anticipating
the potential consequences for the failure, pre-apologized, "We
will lose track when they enter the star's corona."
With a cold edge to her voice that made the
threat in her words unmistakable Captain Andrews replied, "And you
will pick that track back up again before they exit Lawless
space."
******
Knowing that the corona of a star represented a
deadly thermal barrier was secondary in Greene's thoughts when
considering the intense radiation that all stars generated. "I
really don't like this plan."
The lack of enthusiasm did nothing to dissuade
Kassad. "It's a great plan."
Off the top of her head Greene could think of a
number of reasonable concerns over the course of action. "So long
as we don't get hit by a stray solar flare, your slingshot
calculations are right, and any of a hundred other things don't go
wrong."
Casually dismissing these concerns Kassad
explained, "Yes, the star could kill us, but the way I look at it
the star isn't actively 'trying' to kill us. It's just naturally
extremely dangerous. That makes flying into it clearly the safer
choice."
As far as Greene was concerned it was less
reason than rationalization. "I really don't like your logic
either."
Not letting Greene's criticism get to him
Kassad countered, "My logic is great."
Even though it was still at least a day away
Greene felt as though she could see the star's wireframe
representation growing larger as she stared at it anxiety building.
"Well no, it's not great and I'm pretty sure it's not even logic.
There has to be a better way. With all your experience breaking
through blockades you have to be able to come up with something
better than this."
Nodding in agreement Kassad inwardly admitted
his experience in breaking blockades wasn't exactly extensive; more
like a handful of exploits undertaken primarily for the thrill and
glory. "Usually that would be true. Then again usually I don't let
a Lawship get a solid scan of my engine signatures. Usually there's
other traffic in system I can hide amongst. Usually the Lawship
doesn't know it's me they need to be looking for. However under
these circumstances this is the best I can come up with."
Giving voice to her fears Greene said, "We're
going to get cooked by radiation."
Having plenty of concerns of his own about the
plan Kassad was quick to wave that one away, "Nonsense. Sabha can
shrug off anything that puny star can dish out and quite a bit more
to boot."
Everything was spiraling out of control into
conspiracies and mortal threats. Nothing in Greene's everyday life
seemed to fit with the strangely abstract life-or-death struggle
Kassad claimed they were in. On the other hand there were so many
facts that only made sense if what Kassad were saying was
true.
Not knowing what to believe Greene said, "This
is insane."
Stretching his arms out above his head and his
legs below Kassad arched his back and tried to distract himself
from his increasingly dimming sight and hearing. "Insane comes
next."
Greene bolted upright against her restraints.
"You've got something more crazy planned?"
"Any second now the Armhamon is going to be
demanding we take such and such course at such and such speed."
Kassad explained half hoping he was wrong. "But remember that we're
on a stated rescue mission. So legally we get to make demands about
course and heading that all other traffic must make way for."
Kassad leaned over whispering conspiratorially, "But they'll be
thinking about how they want to make the firing solution as easy as
possible."