Intergalax Book Three:  War of the Fury

Chapter 8

Susan took another sip of her cocktail as she listened to the man on her portable rattle off a list of dates and locations. “No, you’re not understanding me. He has three weeks total leave time left, not three. I don’t want him to burn in up all at once, and I really don’t think his CO would let him anyway.” She told him.

“I really don’t have too much to offer you than some general population passage. The accommodations are private, you know.”

“What about indirect? Perhaps we can take general transport part of the way and transfer.”

“It’s possible, but it will add seven days, so you are back to using at least two weeks. You could meet up with the Solar Sailor three days out from Pyrus and take that in. It is due at Miami Starport on the eighteenth.”

She sighed, resting her chin on her palm. General population travel was comfortable, in the broadest sense of the word, but to her, it was mind wrenchingly boring. Dammit! Cruises were meant to be somewhat slow, but certainly there was something that would put them back on Earth before Tova sent out the troops to find them. She meant to keep him close as long as she could, but she didn’t want him burning up all that time either. It wasn’t even occurring to her that he might even be recalled just as Jimmy had.

“Okay, put us down for that, at least tentatively.” She indicated her comm-link. “Let me get a hold of my husband and get his military credentials”

“That won’t be necessary Major, I have yours right here.”

“Huh? There must be some mistake, my reserve status hasn’t been active for years now.”

“No maam, I have it right here on my screen. Major Susan Rokowski, civilian medical corps. Active duty.”

“What? Hold what you’ve got Bladen, I’ll call you back.” She punched the disconnect and the screen went back to a neutral image. What the hell? She keyed in a connection to the local public computer and entered her military pass code. Her public service record appeared on the screen, along with an image taken almost a decade before. Right below her photo was the word “Active.”

She scanned the service dates. She had been reactivated four days ago! What the hell was Jimmy trying to do? It didn’t bother her in the least when he asked her to take charge of the medical bay until a proper officer could be arraigned, but there was absolutely no reason for her to be reactivated like this. She wasn’t even maintaining a private practice any more since she basically lived off investments she had made long before she even knew Murky. Certainly he wasn’t trying to get back at Murky for the subterfuge? That wasn’t possible, it just wasn’t Jimmy’s way with things.

She happened to glance up from the table just as Dona passed in front of the bar. Who was that woman with her? She was leading her friend by the arm, but they didn’t seem to be in any hurry. Maybe it was something to do with the security arrangements, but that didn’t make much sense now that the crisis was over. She was about to call out to her when her comm-link chirped. She touched the crystal to receive the call. A tiny light indicated it was Murky calling her.

“Mill, is Jimmy with you? There’s something wrong, he’s reactivated my…”

“Susan, never mind that. Have you seen Dona?”

“Yeah, just a moment ago, why?”
“Where are you?”

“I’m at a bar on concourse level three. There was some woman with her…what’s going on?”

“I’m not sure, but Jimmy thinks something’s wrong. Sit tight, we’ll be there in a moment.”

She wasn’t listening to him any more. She grabbed her portable and shoved it into a jacket pocket. The concourse level she was on was mostly a railed balcony overlooking the main area. It was about thirty feet wide and about fifty feet above the main level floor. People were still clearing the starport, plus, there were bound to be travelers waiting for commercial ships to be cleared for takeoff once more. There were still at least a thousand people visible in there. There were many in various uniforms, mostly the light blue of the local security force. Many were also in various UFSA uniforms, mostly in olive duty uniforms. She picked up sight of two armored guards with large rifles near one of the main entrances. Mainly due to the crowd, she couldn’t see Dona any more, despite the dearth of individuals wearing officer’s uniforms.

Susan only had the most rudimentary officer’s training. She was once a member of the Civilian Medical Corps. The UFSA had recruited doctors and other medical personnel to serve on many second line ships and employed them at many fixed locations. She joined not long after her internship to help repay her student loans left from medical school. After briefly serving a now defunct Special Forces group called Team Alpha, she moved on to serve as the Chief Medical Officer on several second line starships. Her rank of Major was not as formal as a full active duty member of the Starforce, but it served to indicate her place in the chain of command on a ship.

Still, she had been around military men for the last twenty years, and she had to have learned something, at least by osmosis. She was searching her mind for something that would help her to help Dona.

What did she know? Dona was with another woman; at least that was what she had seen. Jimmy thought she was in trouble, and she knew well enough to trust the younger man’s instincts. Once, he had been known to fly off half cocked, but a decade of service in the Starforce had redirected his drive, refining his intellect.

She hadn’t seen a weapon, but that didn’t mean there wasn’t one. She had been leading Dona by the arm, and she knew as an officer, she was more accustomed to giving orders than to being led around like that. She had to admit to herself that knowing the results of weapons was somewhat different from knowing how to use them. She disdained the use of weapons, being a healer and not a destroyer, but she had been shown the basics. Yeah, right, twenty years ago she had been shown. Eight years of inactivity also meant she had not been called upon to renew any aspects of her training.

What about security? Again, she thought of the two soldiers on the main floor. Their heavy assault rifles would likely do more harm that good in such a situation. At least that was her understanding of the powerful weapons. She also didn’t know what the local security forces were capable of. Also, certainly Jimmy would have alerted security by now. Perhaps he wasn’t as sure what was happening as she first thought.

There she was. They were on a wide staircase descending to the next level. She caught sight of the woman’s free hand. She was definitely holding something, but it was small enough to be concealed by her hand. She came to a decision. She wasn’t a fighter, and she had no skills in this regard to speak of, so she did the only thing she could at this point.

“Mill?” she spoke into her comm-link.

“Go ahead.”

“Where are you?”

“We’re in a tunnel leading to the main concourse.”

“I’ve got them in sight. They’re heading for level two.”

“Got you. What can you see?”

“She’s with a woman. Mid to late thirties, dark blonde hair. I think she may have a weapon on her.”

“Got ya! Thanks!” The link went dead and Susan had to start circling the balcony to keep them in sight.

“Just what the hell is Janice doing?” Realth said to his companion as she led her captive by them. If she had noticed her two cohorts, she didn’t give any indication. They had come here themselves during the battle and simply hadn’t left yet.

“She’s got some Starforce colonel, if I know my insignia correctly.” Gorim replied. “I don’t know what gotten into her, we’re not supposed to take them on directly, not here in the city.”

“Well, that’s not half the problem. She’s picked up a tail. Look!” he pointed to the dark haired woman watching from a higher level.

“Damn, not like her to not notice that. She’s not doing anything to hide from her either. Who is she?”

“I dunno. I don’t recognize her, if that’s what you mean. She’s certainly not security, not to be following that openly without a uniform.”

“Well, what do you think? Something important is going on if Janice is risking exposure like this.”

“Agreed, but what do we do about it?”

“You take that idiot brunette, I’ll follow up with Janice. Don’t do anything, just keep out of sight and roll with it as it comes.”

“Got it.”

“You’re right Jimmy, something’s up. Susan said Dona’s being led around by some woman. It sounds like they’re headed for the cafeteria, just like she said.” The two of them slowed as the approached the security checkpoint. Jimmy wasn’t sure if he wanted to bring the security forces in on this, especially since he still didn’t know exactly what was going on.

“Seems like she still wants me to meet up with her at the restaurant. Listen, you circle around to the right, I’ll head right for her once I get sight of her. Maybe they won’t be expecting the two of us. Plus, it’s a secure area, so there shouldn’t be to many weapons, except what the security forces have.”

“Okay, Jimmy. I’ll go in first and make for another section. Just play it cool and easy as if you’re going to meet with her. There may be some other Starforce personnel in there. Just ignore them, don’t even speak to them unless you can’t avoid it. Let’s find out what the situation is before we go in half cocked.”

“I’m not helpless, you know.”
“Right, Jimmy. As a spook, you make a great starship commander.” Murky certainly had less tension in his voice, as if he was in his own element. He watched as the tall man undid the clasps holding his chest plate in place, setting it aside under the watchful eye of the security personnel watching the checkpoint. Jimmy followed his lead and did the same thing.

He waited a few moments before following him into the main concourse. A quick flash of his ID let him past the checkpoint without any searches or other screening. He was fully entitled to wear his sidearm inside. The vaulted room was massive, easily large enough to hold possibly even a battleship, if it were on the slightly smaller side like the orbiting Cincinnati. It was divided into three levels, with the central area being open to the cathedral ceiling. It had more of the aspect of being a shopping center, and that was what it truly was. Merchants and food vendors of all types were hoping to get a few credits from the folks waiting for their ships to leave. That was almost always the case, since new arrivals only had to wait for one of the numerous transports, or otherwise fanned out into the resort city.

The mood was still somber, being only hours since the battle with the three destroyers. Ground based officials had acted properly to the crisis, though there was never truly any danger since the ships were trying to flee rather than press an attack.

The cafeteria was the largest single restaurant, and it was located toward the rear of the building on the first level. He tried, but he could not spot Dona through the crowd. He wondered if he should risk trying to raise her on the comm-link again.

His fingers brushed across his custom made handgun. It was a large pistol; it’s muzzle extending slightly past the end of his holster. The black, rubberized grip and trigger guard were exposed, allowing him to grip the weapon quickly. The strap had a quick-break snap, allow him to draw it rapidly even if it hadn’t been unsnapped. He wore it double strapped to his leg, which he found more comfortable than in cross-draw fashion. He wasn’t a quick-draw artist, so he relied on the more conventional setup.

Nothing is wrong, he told himself. Just nerves, and the strange call from Dona. The woman Susan had seen was probably some civilian official, concluding some business with her before they left. Even if something is amiss, relax. Learn what is going on. There are far too many people here to make a big scene.

His practiced eye took in the surroundings as he made his way directly across the central indoor plaza. Three, no, make that four uniformed security guards. Two plain clothes, if he was judging correctly. Also, two armed soldiers covering the tunnel leading to the tarmac where the UFSA ships sat. Over a thousand civilians, plus other authorities he couldn’t make out. What was the garrison strength here? Perhaps he should have ordered more armed patrols in the starport?

Too late for that now, and now that would be better up to the governor. He finally spotted Dona, waiting for him by the entrance of the restaurant. She was still a couple hundred yards away, but she spotted him as well. Nothing like a uniform, even if it was black and gray, to make someone stand out in a crowd.

It worried him that she was not waving for him.

Dona didn’t let on that she had spotted her husband making his way through the crowd. “What do you intend to do? I’m not in command here?”

“Shut up.” She let her thumb brush into Dona’s waist. The hand was the one holding the assassin’s pistol. She apparently thought the better of it and asked, “Who is this Murky he was talking about? Is that Commander Bedarest?”

She knew who she was, now she was certain of it. The fact that she was merely a lawyer assigned to the Miami Central Command instantly led her to believe it was actually Jimmy she was after. Nothing about the woman’s appearance, accent or anything stood out to indicate she may be a Deltan, but that didn’t really tell her anything. At the moment, what mattered was the small gun pointed at her waist. How had the weapon been smuggled in here in the first place?

The fact Jimmy was approaching alone made her heart sink. She hoped by calling him James, he would have been alerted to the fact something was wrong, but here he was, approaching them and smiling the whole time. She brightened when she saw his fingers brush his gun as he walked. It was a signal.

She knew better than to look around. He was playing it cool for the moment, but he had something up his sleeve.

“Commander Argus, I have some things I need to discuss with you.” He captor said as he neared.

“Such as.” He said as nonchalantly as possible.

“Not here. Please come with me to my office.”

“I’m sorry, we’re about to leave. I’m afraid we don’t have time. Perhaps you can forward a request to my office?”
Janice tried to keep a straight face, despite the fury welling in her. There were still too many people around for her to reveal the weapon she was holding on the woman. Somehow, he apparently knew something was up and he was trying to force her hand. “Okay honey, walk up to him real slow.” She said in a low voice. Dona started to step away.

She had made a critical error in holding the weapon so close to Dona’s waist. She had been hoping to keep the woman cowed by its presence, but she didn’t count on her knowledge of gunplay. Before she was out of reach, Dona twisted around and grabbed her gun hand, forcing it upwards.

In an instant, the weapon fired twice. Dona used her hand to crush Janice’s finger down onto the firing stud several times in rapid succession. The tiny weapon was powerful, designed to kill quickly but it only had enough charge for two shots. She recognized the fact, forcing the weapon to be emptied harmlessly into the wall. Dona had used both hands on the weapon, leaving her left hand free. Janice sent it crashing into her jaw, knocking her backwards onto her butt.

The loud, distinct laser blasts caused the whole concourse to erupt in near panic. People scrambled to get away, unaware that the tiny gun had been spent. Jimmy had his big PT1000 in hand, trying to get a bead on the woman struggling with his wife. He held the weapon high, not pointing it while there was still a chance he would hit the wrong one.

Janice dropped the useless weapon and dropped onto her captive. Her hand found the woman’s throat and grabbed it like a vice. She wrenched her upright and spun her in front as if using her like a shield. Half a dozen security guards had appeared; their own weapons naked in their hands. Her other hand double wrapped Dona’s long black hair, snapping her head back and baring her abused throat even further.

“Back the hell off, or I’ll crush her larynx!” She shouted. She looked around, taking stock of her situation. She mentally cursed herself for underestimating the damned Terran bitch like that. Stupid, letting her grab the pistol like that! There were five security guards, armed with smallish pistols and that damned Commander Argus with the big gun she didn’t recognize. Not too bad. She caught sight of the two soldiers, their rifles to their shoulders and trained in her general direction, but they had not moved from their posts. The only way out is through, she told herself.

Murky came up short when the pistol went off. Jimmy had gotten there quicker than he had because of the ebb and flow of the crowd. In an instant, he was up on a decorative planter, his own pistol out, searching for a clean shot. He saw the two women go down and then come up with the other having the upper hand.

He was a practiced shot. He didn’t have a big custom weapon like Jimmy did but rather carried a standard issue UFSA pistol, an OP-5. It was fairly powerful and very accurate, using a standard ammunition power cell instead of constantly recharging from free ions. With his finger off the trigger, he started to line up a shot. All he had to do was see her head!

Something caught his arm like a hammer blow, causing the pistol to drop into the planter, hidden from view in the large, green foliage. Another fist followed, grazing his jaw as he twisted to meet his new attacker. The man had been charging him from what he supposed was a blind side, and both men crashed to the floor in a tangle of frightened travelers.

Gorim reacted at the same time. He had caught up with the woman, who by now had ceased following, instead watching what was proceeding from the second level. One flick of his palm and a plastic bladed knife appeared. It was as razor sharp as any metal blade, and would not show up on weapons scanners. Despite the fact it would not hold an edge as long as its steel counterparts and did not have an energy projector, it would certainly do its job for the short time it would be required.

There were very few people in this part of the second level. His quarry had taken a position near the rail to get the best view of the struggle below, and wasn’t paying attention to her surroundings. Damn, I sure hope she has something to do with these people. She certainly wasn’t any kind of professional. In one motion, he clamped one hand over her mouth and with the other, grabbed her by the waist, letting the blade of the knife rest against her belly, the tip starting to bite in. She wasn’t extremely thin, like the Colonel Janice had captured, but she wasn’t especially heavy. He lifted her and shoved her into a service hallway, out of sight.

Dona was twisting in the woman’s grip. She couldn’t believe how strong she was as she was held fast. It didn’t help that the woman had such a firm grip on her hair. Normally, in uniform, she would have worn it up but lacking time she had simply bound it into a single ponytail, letting it hang to the small of her back. She was thinking about the irony of why long hairstyles were not allowed in combat positions. As a lawyer, she only had to adhere to general grooming standards. Her captor tightened her grip once more, shooting waves of pain through her scalp. Fingernails dug deeper into her throat.

“Let her go, right now!” Jimmy was pointing the gun directly at Janice’s head.

“Go ahead, take a shot!” She challenged. “At this range, you’ll still burn the hell out of her even if you managed to get a clean shot at me.” Still, she tried to put more of Dona between them.

Jimmy’s mind was racing. What she was saying was exactly true. His pistol could be adjusted for confined fire, but he always left it set up for standard combat. He toyed with the notion of shifting the small lever set into the butt, instead choosing to keep a bead on the woman holding his wife.

Pathetic! Janice thought. This little slip of a woman wasn’t putting up much of a fight since her surprise attack. How could their military allow their members to go without anything but the most rudimentary training? She knew she could expect this, after screening the Colonel’s service record. Damn her, anyway. Everything was wrecked now. How could she even hope to get away from here now? The fastest ship at her disposal could be caught at a whim by even the slowest UFSA ship on hand!

Murky rolled onto his back just as his attacker dove for him. He brought both legs up at once and caught the man in the midsection, sending him backwards, back into the raised planter. Disarmed, he drew his curved combat knife and held it in front of him as the man recovered and faced him. Finally, he got a good look at the man’s face.

A wicked smile spread over Realth’s face. He flicked his hand and a knife identical to Gorim’s appeared. His expression said it all. “We can dance all day long, Commander, or we can do something about this situation.”

“Not until every one of you are exposed.”

“Seems like you and black hair over there are doing just fine!” He switched the knife back and forth between his hands.”

“So, you mean everybody is here?” Murky asked, flicking the tiny stud on his knife that ignited the energy field on the sharpened metal edge.

“Yep, I’ve even got somebody upstairs taking care of the other woman.”

Murky straightened up, dousing the energy field on his weapon. “Dammit, man! That’s my wife!”

Realth’s eyes went wide. “Oh shit!”

“Oh shit is right. Look, if this is everybody, you can drop the act. Go take care of Susan and I’ll try to figure out what we can do down here about Dona.”

“Right. You know what? Tova can kiss my ass after this!”

“Just go, now!” He sheathed the blade and started looking about the planter for his dropped weapon.

Janice was pulling Dona along, toward the armed soldiers. “Tell them to stand down!” She screamed. Jimmy waved his hand downwards and they lowered their rifles. “Good. Tell them to clear a path for me to that Blackhawk out there!”

“Stand back, let her through!” He shouted. The two soldiers parted, just enough to let the two women by. Jimmy was the first to follow, along with several security guards. He kept his pistol trained on the retreating woman’s head. “You won’t be able to fly it. It take both a handprint keypad and voice recognition to even start the drive.”

“That’s why you are coming right with me!”

The cramped passageway was only large enough for three people to walk abreast. Seizing the opportunity, Dona suddenly planted her feet, forcing the other woman right into a wall. He hand at her throat tightened, threatening to cut off her air completely. Fortunately, she finally had a view of her captor’s stance.

Just as she had been taught to do by her husband, she put one foot back, hooking it around the other’s leg and yanking forwards while shoving backwards with her torso. With both hands being used to hold her, he opponent was caught completely off balance. They both went down, her hair still bound up in her hand.

Dona got both hands onto the claw holding her neck and pulled, getting several fingers away. There was a rush of movement as Jimmy and two of the guards plowed into them. She felt a wave of relief as the pressure on her hair was finally released. The woman continued shouting epithets, switching finally between English and Arkonian in her rage.

With the woman in custody, Murky broke away and headed for the nearest staircase leading to the second level. It didn’t take him long to spot the three, just outside of a service passage. Susan was there, perfectly all right and looking at Realth’s arm. The big man grinned as he approached them.

“Permission to be relieved, Commander.”

“Permission granted Major. And Thanks!”

“Oh, so this guy works for you?” Susan demanded as she dabbed the shallow wound on the man’s arm.

“Not directly, no. He still works for Commander Tova, so we’re from the same branch.”

“Three years of deep cover, over in an instant, all because Regul down there had to go for a big grab. Who is she?”

“Colonel Dona Argus.”

“Argus? As in…”

“Yes, Commander Argus.” Susan finished for him. “He didn’t get you too bad. I wouldn’t worry about a bandage, unless the bleeding gets bad.”

“’Tis but a scratch.” He said, rolling his sleeve down over it.

“What the hell happened?” Murky finally asked, pointing to the unconscious man lying at their feet.

“I confronted Gorim, she got loose and clocked him real good in the back of the head. He got me as he went down, more by accident than by design.”

Murky picked up the discarded plastic knife. “Okay, I get just how these got here. What I want to know is just how she got that gun in here.” He growled.

“Special shielding circuits, plus, it was stashed somewhere here some time ago just in case she needed to retrieve it. That way, she wouldn’t have to worry about random physical searches.”

“Awful well prepared, if you ask me.”

“You don’t know the half of it.” Major Gamble said. His name was actually Ralph Gamble. Realth was a name he had come up with just for the mission.

“Then start filling me in.”

“Are you okay?” Jimmy asked, kneeling in front of Dona.

She was rubbing her neck with one hand and the back of her head with the other. “I think so. My scalp is sure going to be sore. That’ll teach me not to wear my hair up!”

“Well, I like it down. You’re not supposed to get into these messes.”

“No kidding.” She held out her hand, and he pulled her upright, holding onto her for a moment. “Uh, Jimmy, people are looking.”

He let go of her and looked at the angry welts on her neck where the woman’s nails had bitten in. “Its nothing.” She explained. “Couple dabs of Med-gel and I’ll be good as new.”

“Commander?” One of the Starforce guards asked.

“She’s fine, private.”

“Good Sir. The local police want to take that woman into custody.”

He flashed an angry look at the hapless man. “What the hell do these idiots think? That woman was spouting off in Deltan curses. Tell them this is a military matter and get on the comm and get a security detail down here immediately!”

“Yes sir!” The soldier pulled a mike clipped to his armor vest and started speaking to an unseen dispatcher. Dona and Jimmy turned away from the scene. A squad of soldiers came into view to take her away.

“It’s time to get the hell out of here.” Dona said.

“I agree. So much for vacation.”

“Next vacation I take, it’ll be down to Coco Beach or something. What is it about us and trips anyway?”

“Bad Mojo?” He mentally went down the list of things that had happened whenever they tried to get away. It didn’t help that they didn’t go away that often, but seemingly they were either attacked or some other foul luck every time.

A small child broke away from his mother’s hand. He stopped right in front of them and pulled off a surprisingly good imitation of a proper salute. “I want to go kill Deltahs, C’madoor!”

Jimmy actually smiled at the thin little youth. He had a mop of shiny black hair brushed back over his scalp. He returned the salute. “You do some growing up first son, that’s an order.”

The boy beamed, then scampered back to his parents, who were trying to shoo him back anyway.

“It’s kind of a shame.” He said ruefully. “That kid has never known anything but this war.” He shook his head as he turned his attention to looking for Murky. Dona was right, it was past time to leave.

©2003 Intergalax.com