Lee twisted his head around.
“What is it?” Alvarez asked.
“More are coming. Let’s go!” Before they could dash off, something wet splattered the side of Lee’s face. Then something hard struck his back, it felt like someone drove a screwdriver through his spine. He touched a finger to his back and pulled them out covered in red. Then the XO yowled dropping his personnel device and went down clutching his leg.
“Got me in the calf, damnit I can’t stand.”
“Get up, Vee! Now!” Lee yanked his friend to his feet, careful to keep the wounded right leg close and provide support.
The XO grunted in pain. “Just go without me, Lee.”
Lee half dragged and half ran with his friend while ignoring the realization he was losing sensation in his back. There’s no way he would leave Vee.
“Lee! You can’t carry—”
“Quiet, Lieutenant Commander! The more you talk, the heavier you seem to get.”
He snatched the equipment bag back from Alvarez and slung the strap around his chest. The chase was on.
Chapter 9 – Fight Lee Fight
Star Runner
Rigel
Aaron looked on as Lieutenant Delaine lowered the high-speed courier onto the landing pad. Star Runner, as she called it, landed on the night side of the planet less than ten miles from the team.
During the descent, his personnel device locked on and paired with his two shipmate’s devices. Now, studying the location markers, Vee’s was inactive and Lee’s was quite the opposite.
His eyes narrowed. Lee’s marker was speeding up and slowing down, as though he was doing some sort of high intensity training. A slow jog for one minute, followed by a sprint for thirty seconds.
Lieutenant Delaine must have checked her personnel device and saw the same thing.
“What are your crew doing, Commander?”
Why in blazes would she assume he could know such a thing?
“Intel is your job, Lieutenant, why don’t you tell me.”
She shrugged. “It seems an odd time for doing interval sprints,” she said.
The hairs on the back of his neck stood up. This was no time to be wondering around in public at all. He raised his personnel device. “Prodigal son, it’s your father, please reply.”
Those codenames didn’t sound any less ridiculous to him now than when Delaine had chosen them. Despite secure end-to-end encryption, protocol still demanded the use of codes.
He tried again. “Nothing,” he said, sliding back behind one of the control stations. “They’re in trouble. Something’s wrong, we can’t waste time in a ground car, we’re going directly to them.”
“You can’t be serious, if you attempt such a thing, we’ll be intercepted and forced to land by one of the atmosphere patrol craft. We’ll have a hard time explaining this to civilian authorities.”
He pulled his harness over his shoulders. “It’s that or they’re dead—or worse.”
“What makes you so sure? There could be another explanation,” she offered.
He flicked the controls. “There could be. But none comes to mind so I’m going with the one that does. Strap in.”
“Might I remind you, Commander, I have operational authority of this mission, as its ambit is under the USSI. I’m merely assigned to SC Shepherd, but this mission is under civilian oversight.”
Aaron bit down hard on his lip, civilian oversight!
“And as I recall,” he said. “I have operational authority when it comes to ship based decisions and concerns. Right now, we’re aboard a spaceship, and I’m concerned about our team. Work that into your stone-cold synapses and see what your civilian oversight comes up with. In the meantime, you need to secure your harness. We’re in atmosphere after all, and I’m not Miroslav.” The last part was really a reminder to himself.
“Who?” she asked.
The engines rumbled, and the thrusters pushed them up, forcing her into the seat.
A panicked air traffic operator signaled. “Star Runner, you are not cleared for lift off! Pilot, you just landed. Power down. I repeat—you do not have clearance for lift off. Acknowledge.”
Aaron increased the engine power. He turned to face the Lieutenant. “Lieutenant, start screaming,” he said, “huff and puff, act like you’re in labor or something.”
She stared back in horror. “I will not! Women don’t ‘huff and puff’ when in—
“I don’t care what they do! This will be just as confusing for them now do something!”
Delaine sucked in a deep breath, and began yelping and blowing it out, in a manner she probably thought was the best imitation of an expectant mother in labor—three hundred years ago.
She sounded more like an injured sea whale.
He flicked the comm open. “Control. Please my wife is in labor, she wasn’t due for two weeks now she . . .” He paused looking at her, waving his hands, and she groaned louder. “This is our first child please . . . I need to get her to the hospital as soon as possible.”
“Negative, Star Runner, we have medics here who can help, cut power and let us help.”
Time to kick it up a notch.
“Oh stars in heaven, by every known deity in the universe and all we hold holy, she’s bleeding—bad!” He looked at her and she waved her hands for him to continue. “Oh my! Blood, there’s blood everywhere, hold on, honey, they’re going to help us!”
She screamed and shook her body. Damn, she was really into it now.
“Star Runner, I am clearing a path in real time for you to Rigel State Care. It’s the closest. Be warned atmospheric patrols are on their way to escort you over and will likely take you into custody once you land. I’m sorry, sir, but what happens after is up to the security forces.”
He cut the comm-link, disengaged VTOL and transitioned to forward flight. “Right, I’m going!”
He turned to Lieutenant Delaine. “Well, no thanks to you, it worked for now.”
“No thanks to me? I poured my heart and soul into that performance!” she said.
“Good thing you’re not an actor then, it was horrible,” he grimaced. “Way over the top.”
She stood with clenched fists. “Why you sniveling—”
He punched the acceleration on the little courier and burned for the hospital. The sudden surge tossed the “pregnant” Lieutenant into her seat. Now, she strapped herself in.
The flight path was clearing. And it was in the relative direction of Lee’s personnel device.
I’m coming boys . . . hold on.
****
“Lee, stop,” Alvarez breathed hard. “I can’t go anymore. Just stop.”
Lee strained his neck, no sign of the other goons behind them. Maybe they could rest a moment. He stopped and eased Vee to the pavement. His friend wheezed with every breath.
“Lee, my leg burns for one minute and then I feel nothing for the other,” he groaned.
Lee shook his head. “Forget about it. If it falls off, they can replace it. You know some people like bionic limbs—they even surgically remove their own.”
“I’m not some people. I’m traditional. I like my limbs. I want to keep them.”
“And keep them you will. I promise, Vee.”
Alvarez forced a smile.
Lee looked around. It was 02:00 local time. He didn’t see security forces or any indication any had responded to this disturbance at all. They must have received alerts from some citizens who’d seen them running. The audio report of the sidearms was minimal, but surely, the local security dispatch services had been swarmed with calls of crazy persons in the streets with antique weapons. Could the unknown pursers have compromised security to the extent whereby they could delay a response? He supposed that was possible.