Command Decision (Project Gliese 581g #1) (21 page)

A glimmer of metal caught his attention and he bent to pick up the item partially hidden under one of the tables. Wrapping his fingers around the cold blade, the frown on his face turned to a dark scowl of anger.

“Assassin,” he hissed, recognizing the knife as a Turbinta assassin blade.

Turning, he stared back in the direction of the dead soldier. His lips tightened in aggravation. He would lay his command on the line that the assassin wasn’t working with the rebels. He would have the healer aboard the ship do an autopsy and compare the wound on the dead man with the knife.

No, someone had sent the assassin after the same target he was searching for. There was only one person he knew that would hire a Turbinta assassin. It would appear now that he was in a race to find the contents of the capsules.

“Sir, there is a way up to the roof,” the commander informed him, coming to a standstill in front of him.

“They escaped over the rooftops,” Roan stated. “Close off this section of the city and inspect every building. Do not allow any flights to leave without checking them first.”

“Yes, sir,” the commander said.

Roan watched the commander give the orders to his men. He turned toward the back door leading into the building. The bar was across the narrow alley. The only way into the building would have been with a special, coded key. He walked back through the warehouse, scanning it. His thoughts turned to Hutu Gomerant. The Old Knight of the Gallant Order had been a mentor to his father. Roan had known the man and respected him as a leader and a fighter. The man had retired to trade used parts in a small spaceport several years ago. It would appear Hutu Gomerant wasn’t as retired as he portrayed.

Roan touched the control attached to his ear when he heard it chime. “What is it?” He demanded, pausing in his exploration of the building.

“Sir, we have picked up one of the men on the list,” the voice responded.

“Transport him to the Battle Cruiser. I will return shortly,” Roan ordered.

“Yes, sir,” the voice on the other end responded.

Roan turned and looked across the area. The seven men that had been knocked out or injured would receive medical attention before they were sent for additional training. From what he had learned, one man had been responsible for the act. That, combined with the knowledge that this man also defeated a Turbinta assassin, was enough to set off his internal alarms. Whoever, or whatever, came in the capsule needed to be treated with extreme caution.

Roan stood gazing out the door of the warehouse. He slowly turned and looked toward the staircase in the far corner. His expression thoughtful.

“Who are you and where did you come from?” He murmured before he looked at the commander. “Make sure this does not happen again. If it does, I will hold you personally responsible.”

The commander paled. “Yes, General,” the commander said with a curt bow.

Roan continued out of the building. At least one of the rebels had been apprehended. He would get the information he needed from that man.

*.*.*

“No!” Cassa cried in anger where she sat at a low table in the back of a merchant’s shop several hours later. She impatiently wiped at the tear that ran down her cheek. “How could he have been caught? He was being careful. He followed Jubotu’s instructions.”

“A group of Legion soldiers searched the caravan that Pack was traveling with,” Hutu explained with a heavy sigh. “One of the members turned him in. The Director has increased the bounty on all of us. That, combined with the increased number of soldiers sent by General Landais, has made it virtually impossible to enter or leave the city. As it is, I am not sure how we will get out.”

Josh stepped up to stand behind Cassa. Devona had just contacted them and informed them that Pack had been captured by Legion soldiers. He was to be moved to General Landais’ Battle Cruiser. He rested his hands on her shoulders when she bowed her head and drew deep, calming breaths. He could feel her shoulders stiffen before her head rose up again.

“I am going after him,” Cassa said with determination. “I will not lose the rest of my family to the Legion.”

Hutu nodded. “We will go after him. The question is how to get aboard General Landais’ ship without being seen,” he muttered.

Josh frowned, staring at Hutu with a thoughtful expression. His mind played back to an old movie he had seen as a boy. What if….

“What if we didn’t try not to be seen? What if we just walked on board as if…,” his voice faded when Hutu snorted.

“You want us to just walk aboard General Landais’ Battle Crusier? It is impossible!” Hutu exclaimed.

“Why? It would be the last thing that he or the Legion would expect,” Josh replied with a determined grin. “We just need a way to get on the ship.”

Hutu raised an eyebrow. “We’d need a couple of Legion uniforms,” he murmured in a thoughtful tone.

“Can you get them?” Cassa asked with wide, hopeful eyes.

“Possibly,” Hutu muttered in a thoughtful tone. “Devona can help.”

“Does the Legion have any maintenance ships here?” Josh asked.

“Yes, there were several here to work on the gunships,” Hutu replied.

“We’ll need a way off the ship once we get on,” Josh explained. “Those would be less conspicuous and we can use it to escape.”

“Yes, but there is no way that it can outrun one of the Legion’s fighters,” Hutu replied with a frown.

“Hopefully, we’ll be off the Battle Cruiser long before they are aware of what is happening,” Josh said with a grin. “Personally, I don’t plan on getting caught.”

Hutu stared at Josh with a thoughtful look for several long seconds before he placed his hands on the small table and leaned forward. Josh could see the other man’s mind furiously working through the different scenarios. Finally, Hutu nodded.

“We will need my ship,” he stated.

“I have an idea,” Cassa said, looking back and forth between the two men. “It is crazy, but this just might work.”

*.*.*

The sun was just starting to peek over the horizon when the small trio arrived on the outskirts of where they had started two days before. Devona had appropriated the needed uniforms that they would need. Josh glanced at Hutu as he hurried toward them.

“Are you ready for this?” He asked.

“Yes, there is a maintenance shuttle off to the side,” Hutu said.

“Yes, but it has a crew,” Cassa replied in a quiet voice. “I have been watching those arriving and departing from the shuttle at the end of the line. It was there only two days ago. It was in for repairs and was just returned to the line.”

“How can you tell?” Hutu asked with a frown.

Cassa looked up and gave the old Knight a serene smile. “I hacked into their programming,” she replied, holding up her tablet. “Both father and mother believed that it was best to know our enemies. While I was not in favor of fighting against the Legion forces, I was not opposed to learning their programming systems.”

“How did you get access to the Legion’s programming?” Hutu asked in surprise.

Cassa’s gaze flickered to Josh and she gave a bittersweet shrug. “I… One of my former friends was recruited by the Legion. While he has not been happy about it, the recruitment gave him opportunities to expand his skills. We attended the same classes and we kept in touch after mother died. It gave me something to do. While my brothers were better at the mechanical aspects of running the harvest bots back home, I was better at programming them.”

“It is a good thing that you had Jesup to care for, otherwise the Legion would have pressed you into service whether you wished to go or not. Their history of recruiting through force is well-known throughout the galaxy,” Hutu stated.

A hard look came into Cassa’s eyes and she turned her face away to stare at the rows of Legion ships, but not before Josh caught the look of intense grief in her eyes. He saw her lips tighten and she glanced down at the tablet in her hands. He stepped closer and touched her shoulder when she drew in a deep breath and turned back to look at Hutu.

“They still forced me when they killed my father and Jesup. Only… this time I will do everything in my power to stop them,” she replied in a quiet voice that held a hint of steely determination. “I’ve assigned the maintenance shuttle to three fictitious workers and have the new access code. We need to leave now. The code changes in a couple of hours and I’m not sure if I can get it in time to reprogram the computer.”

*.*.*

Josh adjusted his helmet and pulled on his gloves. With a curt nod to the others, he stepped out from behind the containers where they had taken refuge. Walking at a steady pace, he knew that Cassa would come out next, followed by Hutu. He bent and grabbed a silver container and carried it toward the maintenance shuttle that Cassa had pointed out. A satisfied smirk curled his lips when the back platform door opened as he approached.

He glanced over his shoulder when he was halfway up the platform and saw Cassa walking toward the shuttle. Her long, self-assured stride didn’t break when almost a dozen Legion soldiers marched by. He continued up the ramp and set the container down inside. Turning, he waited for Cassa to walk up the platform. Within minutes, Hutu was at the controls with Josh in the co-pilot seat.

“Why don’t you take us up?” Hutu asked, glancing at Josh. “I will show you what you need to know about this ship.”

Josh nodded, taking control. Hutu had worked with him while he was on the other ship. It didn’t take him long to get familiar with the controls. In many ways, it was easier than the jets he had flown back home.

“I hope this works,” Hutu muttered almost an hour later when they navigated through the thin ring surrounding the planet and caught their first up-close view of the new Legion Battle Cruiser. “If not, we are going to need a faster ship.”

“It will work,” Cassa replied in a soft voice behind them. “It has to.”

Chapter 21

“Shuttle 3825, confirm access,” the voice requested.

“L39786, this is Shuttle 3825, the confirmation number is Legion 3825…,” Josh listened as Hutu responded to the request in a calm, concise tone.

There was a brief delay before they were given permission to proceed. Josh glanced at Cassa. He could see she was worried that she might have the wrong information.

“Confirmed, proceed to lower supply bay. Update your confirmation request list,” the voice replied before cutting the communications.

Josh winked at Cassa when she blew out a breath of air and fell back in her seat. She grinned at him for a moment before she returned her focus to the tablet in her hand. Josh released the control of the shuttle to Hutu, deciding it would be better for the Gallant general to guide the shuttle into the landing bay on board the massive Legion Battle Cruiser.

“I forgot to ask you if you heard about any strange aliens in Nobo Sands,” Josh commented to Hutu as the shuttle turned to align with the open door of the ship. “Jubotu found the emergency pod. It was the one my friend, Ash, was in. We overheard a woman telling a soldier that he had stolen some clothing. I was hoping you might have heard something.”

Hutu shook his head. “No. No one has reported seeing anything unusual. If Devona or any of the other rebel forces had heard of a strange alien male, they would have notified me. I have already talked to Devona. We will find your man, Josh, before the Legion does,” he vowed, bringing the shuttle in for a landing. “Cassa, have you located Pack yet?”

Cassa shook her head. “No,” she murmured, focusing on the tablet. “Their system is encrypted. I’m trying an old program that my friend developed. As much as I hate to admit it, it helps having a friend in the Legion forces.” She paused for a moment before she looked up at them with a triumphant look in her eyes. “It worked. He’s being held in Cell Block U41. It is on this level.”

Hutu nodded and grinned. “Perhaps this will be easier than we thought,” he said, shutting down the engines, rising from his seat, and grabbing the helmet from the side shelf.

Josh rose and waited for Cassa to rise as well. He grabbed the stolen helmet and adjusted it over his head. Rolling his shoulders, he followed the others to the back of the shuttle.

“Do you know where we are going?” He asked, peering over Cassa’s shoulder at the screen before his eyes widened. “Nice!” He murmured in her ear when he saw the map of the ship.

“You haven’t seen anything yet,” she responded with determination. “By the time I get done with this ship, General Landais is going to know that it has been hacked.”

“Remind me to never piss you off,” Josh chuckled.

She turned her head toward him. He couldn’t see her eyes because of the helmet she was wearing, but he knew what would be in them – determination and defiance. He felt his body react and winced. Now was not the time to be thinking about things like how beautiful she was and how much he wanted to show her.

“I am not quite sure what that means, but if it means what I think it does, then you’d better not,” she teased before turning back around. “I’ll lead the way.”

Josh chuckled at her teasing. “I’ll just enjoy the view,” he murmured.

*.*.*

“You there, come with me,” a voice ordered almost as soon as they left the shuttle.

All three of them turned around. A man in a dark gray uniform was staring at Hutu. A look of irritation crossed the man’s face.

“I need you to take these supplies to the bridge,” the man continued, pointing to a service bot. “You two report to the Cell Block. There is an issue with the disposal unit there.”

“Yes, sir,” Hutu’s muffled voice replied. He waited until the man moved away before he spoke. “There is no way I can pass by this opportunity,” he murmured to Cassa and Josh. “This is a perfect chance for the Gallant Order to learn more. I will catch up with you back at the shuttle.”