The Phoenix Darkness (46 page)

Fortunately, there was lighting to help
Calvin deal with his intense feeling of claustrophobia, which he
only managed to keep under control by going first and not being
sandwiched between two people. If he had been, he likely would have
screamed in panic. Fortunately, the others were able to handle it
much better.

“Okay, I think we’re there,” said Calvin. He
undid a latch and slid the panel above him aside, as quietly as he
could, then slowly peeked his head up.

He was in the hangar, as far as he could
tell. Their position put them in the far corner, toward stern and
starboard, and just as he’d hoped, there was a ship there, the
perfect thing to hide behind.

Calvin climbed out of the crawlspace, then
helped each of the others. It took three of them to get Rez’nac
out, and he tore his blood-stained clothing in the process, but
they managed to do it.

“Take cover behind that ship,” Calvin
whispered. The group of them snuck over to what looked like a drone
starfighter and crouched against it, listening.

“What now?” whispered Rafael.

Calvin looked at Alex. “This is where you
come in,” he said.

Alex looked very unhappy to hear this
news.

“Don’t blame me,” said Calvin, still using a
hushed voice. “You’re the only one who can hope to blend in.”

“Just what am I looking for, exactly?” asked
Alex.

“We want a drone control shuttle,” said
Calvin. “There should be at least one here. Scout the closest one,
then get back to us.”

“Very well,” said Alex, disappearing around
the far side of the drone fighter.

In the meantime, Calvin and his people held
their weapons at the ready in case someone got curious, wandered
over, and discovered them. If that happened, it would be an all-out
fight, but Calvin desperately wanted to avoid that.

After two or three minutes, Alex returned. “I
have good news,” he said. “There’s a light corvette docked on the
far side.”

“We don’t want a light corvette,” said
Calvin. “We want a drone control shuttle. Did you see any of
those?”

“Yes, one,” said Alex, confused. “Right over
there,” he pointed. “But a light corvette is as easy to take, as
easy to fly, has more armor, stronger shields, better weapons, and,
most importantly, it’s faster.”

“He’s got a point,” said Rafael.

Even Miles looked persuaded, perhaps by the
mention of superior weapons.

“Sorry, no,” said Calvin. “We’re taking the
drone control shuttle.” His entire plan depended on it, even though
the plan itself might still prove to be a spectacular failure.

“But what about all the stuff the lizard
said?” said Miles.

“Come on, Miles. Guys, don’t you trust me?”
asked Calvin.

“Well, yeah,” said Miles.

“I trust you,” whispered Rain.

“I am yours to command,” said Rez’nac.

“If you really do have a plan,” said
Rafael.

“I do,” said Calvin.

Only Alex refused to extend his trust and, by
the look on his face, he clearly thought it ludicrous, and perhaps
merely the result of human pride, that Calvin would continue to
insist on the drone control shuttle.

“Alex, go scout the drone control shuttle and
report back,” said Calvin.

“I just did.”

“And?”

“There are a few soldiers distributed
throughout the hangar, mostly a precaution to protect the
technicians and pilots who are maintaining and inspecting the
various craft, no doubt to ensure their battle readiness.”

“And around the drone command shuttle?”

“Hardly anybody,” admitted Alex with some
reluctance.

“Good, let’s move. Alex, you’re on
point.”

“
Again
…?”

“
Yes
, again, unless you want a high
energy beam scorched into your back,” said Calvin. “Now,
move
.”

***

By the time he reached the drone control
shuttle, he realized the situation had changed. One of the soldiers
had shifted position; he now stood guard next to the shuttle.
Evidently, they were rotating around the hangar watching for any
signs of trouble. The klaxon had stopped sounding, at least, which
Alex knew meant the remaining Advent Elite had all been
slaughtered, and the officers on the Bridge no longer believed
anybody who was a threat remained alive, even though they knew full
well there were humans and a Polarian unaccounted for.

Perhaps that’s why they’ve stationed
lookouts inside the hangar
, thought Alex. They probably think
we’re runaway prisoners, not armed combatants, therefore only a
pest to be found and captured. Not anything that could actually
escape the ship and jeopardize their plans, especially with that
damn hangar door closed. The massive metal door loomed over them.
Alex had no idea how Calvin expected to get past that thing, and he
suspected strongly their quest for escape was about to meet a swift
and ignominious end.

He held out his hand, indicating
stop
.
Then Alex crept around behind the soldier and, with his knife, came
up swiftly from behind. In the same motion he clamped his left hand
over the soldier’s mouth, stifling any scream, and with his right
he plunged the knife deeply into the soldier’s neck, then gave it a
twist. He held him for a few seconds and then laid him down gently
onto the deck.

“It’s clear,” said Alex, his voice barely
louder than a whisper, but loud enough for the humans.

They gathered at the main hatch of the drone
command shuttle. Alex was taken by surprise when Calvin pointed his
pistol at him. He wondered if the human was about to exact his
revenge and if there was anything Alex himself could do about
it.

“Your weapons, please,” said Calvin.

Alex handed over the pistol he’d kept hidden
in his pocket.

“
And
the knife,” said Calvin.

“Fair enough.” Alex gave him the knife, the
last of his lethal weapons other than his bare hands and tactical
mind, that is. No doubt the humans remained afraid of him; even
before his betrayal, they had seemed wary around him. Of course it
should come as no surprise they’d disarm him.

“Now, open the ship,” ordered Calvin.

Alex complied, using his handprint and the
basic code to deactivate the lock and release the seal. With a
hushed whooshing sound, the hatch slid open, revealing the innards
of a drone command shuttle.

“Everybody in,” said Calvin. As Alex stepped
forward, Calvin blocked him. “Everybody else first.”

Quickly the others filed into the ship. First
Rain, then Rafael, Miles, and Rez’nac, leaving Calvin and Alex
alone on the outside. Calvin still held his pistol at a dangerous
angle.

“
Well
?” asked Alex. “Shouldn’t we
board?”

“I’m afraid you need to take a few steps that
way,” Calvin pointed away from the shuttle.

“You can’t be serious…”

“Do it,” said Calvin, “or I’ll light you
up.”

Alex began to slowly retreat from the
shuttle, his hands raised in the air. “We had a
deal
.”

“Now, now, Proxitor; don’t make this any
harder than it has to be.”

The words stung to hear, not just because it
meant he was being marooned here, but because Calvin had chosen to
throw Alex’s own words back in his face.

With that, Calvin boarded the shuttle and
sealed the hatch.

Well, the joke’s on you
, thought Alex,
as he scrambled away as fast as he could.
You’ll never get past
that hangar door!

***

Calvin saw to it that everybody strapped in
except for himself and Rafael, who he asked to join him in the
cockpit.

“I still don’t see why we didn’t kill that
backstabbing lizard,” said Miles, as he fastened his
restraints.

“Trust me,” said Calvin, “alone on the
supercruiser with no allies and probably eight hundred Teldari
looking for him…he’s as good as dead.”

“They might just lock him up,” said
Miles.

“Well, if they do, then we’re leaving him
exactly as we found him,” said Calvin. “A prisoner on a Rahajiim
ship.” With that, he entered the cockpit and sat down in the
pilot’s seat. Rafael was already seated at co-pilot.

“Now, to make this bird fly,” said Calvin,
comparing the controls to those of the
Wanderer
. He
recognized many of the symbols, but he still need some translation
help from Rafael, who was happy to provide it.

“I think it’s about time you tell me what
this plan is for that hangar door,” said Rafael, as Calvin started
to lift the bird a few meters. No doubt everybody in the hangar
took notice.

“Rafael, how many drones are inside this
hangar?”

Rafael checked the board. “Two, sir.”

“Then two will have to do it,” said
Calvin.

He was interrupted by the sound of an alarm
going off. Rafael ran to it, then reported. “We’re taking some
minor damage in the aft plating…small arms fire.”

“Is it any threat to us?” asked Calvin.

“Not yet.”

“Good, then I want you to get over to those
drone controls and become an expert. You have about sixty seconds
to do so.”

Fortunately, Rafael was a quick study. “I
believe I can control the drones, sir.”

“Excellent,” said Calvin. “Tell them both to
lift off.”

He watched out the starboard window as one of
the drones lifted into the air. The other drone was out of sight,
but Rafael assured him they were both airborne.

“Good, now order the drones to lock onto the
weakest point on that hangar door, then unleash all weapons until
they’ve run dry.”

“Aye, sir.”

There were loud booms and bright flashes as
the drone fighters shot everything they had at the hangar door. No
doubt weakening it severely, but even when both payloads had been
completely spent, it hadn’t been enough to break a hole.

“What now, sir?”

“Fly the first drone into the targeted spot
at full thrust.”

He watched as one of the drones rapidly
accelerated and exploded against the hangar door, creating a
significant weakness in the door’s remaining integrity. “Now the
other,” said Calvin.

The second drone did the same, accelerating
to the maximum speed it could, given the surroundings. It smashed
into the weakened part of the door, detonating in an eruption of
fire, which was swiftly blown out as explosive decompression
occurred. Space was now visible through the corner of the door, and
various objects, crates, even personnel were blown out through the
hole, disappearing into space.

“The small arms fire has completely stopped,”
said Rafael. “Although that’s not much of a surprise.”

“Can we fit through that hole?” asked
Calvin.

“Nearly, if we’re careful, but I’d say not
quite.”

“Then lock on weapons and give that weakened
door everything we’ve got.”

The shuttle fired its beam weapons and guns,
further breaking apart the door until there was a sizable breach
into space.

“There we go,” said Calvin. “Now it’s time we
get out of here.” He subtly hit the switch to begin charging the
alteredspace engine.

“Once we accelerate and exit the hangar,
we’ll need to clear a distance of half a million MCs away from the
fleet in order to execute a safe jump,” said Rafael.

Calvin pushed forward on the yoke, full
thrust. They rapidly approached the breach in the door.

“Um, sir, why is the alteredspace drive
charged and ready?” asked Rafael.

“Because sometimes the only option is to do
something crazy as shit.”

It was a dangerous jump attempt, probably the
most dangerous one he’d ever heard of. But he knew to try and
outrun the fleet and jump safely gave them a one-hundred percent
chance of failure, so he opted for the ten percent chance of
success. “Ready to roll those dice?” he asked, knowing in a few
seconds they’d either be safely in alteredspace or permanently
cemented fixtures melded into the supercruiser’s bulkheads.

“You can’t be serious,” said Rafael, looking
nauseated and nervous as hell.

“Time to find out how lucky we are,” said
Calvin. With that, Calvin engaged the alteredspace jump sequence
just as their nose was clear of the supercruiser’s hangar and he
punched it.

Chapter 19

“You mean to tell me, not only is Captain
Pellew dead, and his men dead, but that they were beaten by a mere
solo operative?!” Raidan had been sitting during this conversation,
but now he stood and began to pace, unable to make sense of this
news.

“That’s the way Summers reported it to me,”
said Tristan, whose face looked surprisingly neutral on the other
end. “Of course, she may have been lying, though I detected no
deceit in her voice.”

“No, if it came from Summers, then it’s
true,” said Raidan, feeling the urge to rip his hair out. “And the
weapon?” He knew the answer before it came.

“Gone.”

“Pellew
gone
. His men
gone
. The
isotome weapon
gone
. All by a single, solitary, lonely
operative. How is it possible?” Certainly Raidan had never heard of
such a skilled operative. Even the Advent Elite couldn’t have
managed such a thing.

“Was it a Remorii?” That was the only
conclusion which made any kind of sense. Probably one of the
bastards from the Enclave was behind it, just as Raidan had
feared.

“No; evidently it was a normal human being,
like yourself,” said Tristan.

“
How
do they know?”

“I am merely reporting what I heard. I wasn’t
there; I cannot speak for them.”

God dammit!

“Do you have any further instructions for
me?” asked Tristan, who seemed not nearly as enraged by this as he
should have. Raidan knew his temper was boiling hot. His mistake in
trusting Pellew may have just doomed the human species.