The room itself was large, not as big as the massive chamber aboard the Sword, but still impressive in its own way. The centre of the room was occupied by a large cylinder. Michael recognised it as being similar to the generator they had removed from the Sword, though it was stood upright rather than lying flat.
“Hang on,” Michael said. “I think I’ve actually got this. If that’s the main generator, then the jump drive should be on the wall behind it? That’s how it is on our ships.”
“Oh, holy man knows a little about machines now does he. Struggled to turn on his cutting torch at first I heard.” Murt laughed a little too hard. “Fine then, little mechanic, want to go take your prize? Let it never be said that Murt don’t keep a deal. Don’t want to get a bad rep, innit?”
Michael stepped across the chamber; his lamp held up high. He realised Aileena was coming with him, picking up her pace to catch up. Mellok seemed to get the unspoken message and scuttled past the two of them quickly, his thin legs blurring together as they moved.
“There,” Aileena said, gesturing with her lamp. There was a metal handle embedded in the wall, the kind that twisted around. “Turn and pull.”
Michael did as instructed. Despite the handle being technically brand new, it resisted as he turned it, the metal groaning. Then, with a click, Michael was able to pull, sliding out the semi-cylindrical container that held the matrix. “Is this it?” Michael said, disappointment heavy in his voice. He lifted a dull grey metal cube from within.
“Yep, that’s it,” Murt said. “Got yourselves a genuine brand-new capital ship matrix there. See, told you I would keep up my end of the bargain.”
“So, we’ll be on our way then,” Aileena said. She seemed on edge, her hand resting on her hip.
“Ah, well, see, here’s the thing.” Murt snapped his fingers and the crewmen who had come with them stepped in front of him. “See, I let you get the matrix. Our deal’s done. Keep me word and all that. But, I would quite like to take that matrix from you. And have you make many, many more. Controlling that station up there, quite the trick. One good enough to make me quite a bit of money.”
“See,” Aileena said, pushing her jacket aside to reveal her weapon. “I thought you might say something like that.”
“Oh please. What are you going to do? I have six men here, and dozens more outside. We’re in the middle of the wasteland. Really, none of this was very clever of you. I’ll take the matrix, I’ll control the station, and I’ve got a friend coming who is very interested in this messiah bloke you have there. A certain pirate king.”
“You hearing this Brekt?” Aileena said with a smirk.
“Loud and clear,” came the reply from her bracelet.
The Seeker screamed through the clouds, dropping from its position in orbit. Brekt had taken off not long after the salvage ships had left, positioning the ship near the proposed site for the creation beams strike. He had floated there, adjusting his position with small jet thrusts and eating rations Meggok had made, horrible mushroom-based bars.
Brekt had been sitting in the pilot’s chair, his feet up on the console. He had found a set of Merydian video games on one of the tablets that littered the Sword and was currently stuck on a difficult level. He just couldn’t make that jump, no matter how much he tried. It had been a relief when the incoming message signal had lit up. He listened intently as Aileena had talked with the others. Brekt knew she was really talking to him, asking him to be ready.
So, the Seeker descended, plummeting towards the half-deconstructed ship, its main engines firing. Brekt was coming in fast, faster than was safe. He trusted Aileena, knew she was a professional, but to assume that everything had gone according to plan would be foolish.
As the ship came rushing up to meet him, the pair of cannons that had been placed atop it swivelled to aim at him. He began to sway the ship, randomly jinking it about. The cannons began to glow, weapons charging, and simply, didn’t stop. The glowing grew stronger as the crews, tiny at Brekt’s current distance but rapidly growing larger, banged on their control panels frantically. Realising their situation, they panicked and ran, abandoning their weapons as they overloaded, exploding in vibrant purple energy.
Brekt tilted the ship, banking it onto its side. The capital ship flashed beneath it and as it passed over, the Seeker’s main cannon fired, pre-planned shots disgorging. They struck one of the salvage ships, huge holes burning through the vessel. The salvage ship’s power failed, and the forcefield beneath it collapsed. The stacked metal toppled pulling the ship with it. It hit the ground and exploded, shards of metal digging deep into the half-dismantled hulk they had once come from.
Brekt twisted the controls in his hands and the Seeker’s atmospheric engines fired downwards, giving all the lift they could as Brekt shut off the main engines. He spun the ship, turning it a complete one-eighty. He then fired the main engines again, the atmospheric engines whining loudly as they struggled against the momentum of the Seeker. The ship came to an abrupt stop, hovering in place.
“That,” Aileena said, one finger raised, pointing at the ceiling. “Was two plasma cannons overcharging. You should really maintain those better. And crew them with people who won’t fall asleep at their posts after a few drinks. I would hazard a guess that the other, louder explosion was one of your salvage trawlers. Would you like to lose the rest of them? You’re in a position to fire, right, Brekt?”
“You know it.” Brekt’s voice sounded oddly chipper through the communications bracelet.
Murt seethed. His skin bloomed a crimson red, the colour replacing his previous mint green tone. “You won’t get away with this!”
“Oh, we will. I don’t think you want to lose the rest of your operation. What was it you said, even one ship makes a difference?” Aileena drew her pistol, flicking off the safety with her thumb. It hummed slightly as a green glow grew on the side.
“You’re making a powerful enemy!”
“Are we?” Michael said. “I mean, you’re no pirate king. I’ll be honest, I’ve been through enough recently that a petty gangster with three… sorry, two. Two ships, isn’t scary at all.”
Aileena chuckled. “Might make a merc of you yet, Michael. Ok, so here’s what’s going to happen. We’re leaving, taking the matrix with us, then scuttling that station up there.”
“What!” Murt’s quills were standing on end. “You can’t do that! You would ruin us.”
“A little dramatic I feel,” Mellok said, being uncharacteristically brave. “This whole planet is covered in ship parts. You would have decades to salvage it all. Longer maybe.”
“You can’t do this. I won’t let you do this!”
“Brekt?” Aileena said, holding up her wrist. There was another loud explosion, the deck beneath them shaking. “One ship left Murt. What’s it to be?”
“Fine! Fine!”
“If it makes you feel better, that beam was going to catch your city. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but eventually.”
The explosion was impressive. A burst of emerald green light that seemed to form a second sun, if for just a few moments. Michael was sat back in the command chair of the Sword, watching the blast on the viewscreen. It felt strange, to be making yet another decision for a people, taking action that they would hate him for, initially at least. It would, of course, be him they hated. Though Aileena had cooked up the idea, with help from Kestok and Clive, Michael was the knower, and his legend would grow.
“So,” Michael said. “We good to go?”