Living in Freefall (Living on the Run Book 1) (8 page)

Like the rings of Saturn, countless small particles, ranging
in size from micrometers to meters circled the Saigus sun to form several broad
discs, one inside the next. Nothing in it was larger than Earth’s moon, and
that made this star system unique in all the known galaxy.

As
Freefall
neared, the discs continued to grow
larger and larger, but the Saigus sun sitting at its center still looked like
little more than the glint off the head of a pin. The outer edge terminated two
and a half billion miles from Saigus. Even at this distance the size of it was mind-blowingly
incomprehensible. But the discs fooled the eye. Edge on, the rings looked razor
thin, while in fact they were, in places, four to six thousand miles thick top
to bottom.

Known only to those living here, a hollow moon-sized
asteroid called Rhone remained hidden. Stumbled across nearly seventy years
ago, its discoverers saw its value for what it was and chose to keep its
existence secret. Inside it they built a base to house a mining community. Those
who mine the asteroids for their rich mineral content transport their goods via
Buck and his band of freighter captains. These men, sworn to secrecy, take amazing
pains to keep Rhone off Confederate radar.

In past years, the Confederation of Planets made several
attempts to build space stations here. They needed a base of operations for
their miners. Soon after each attempt ‘marauders,’
so-called
, turned
those ideas to mush. For the Confederacy, Saigus proved too deadly to take,
impossible to hold, and too costly to exploit. The loss of time, money,
materials, and men proved too great to bear even for the leviathan Confederate
budget.

Freefall
followed Buck’s ship,
Adventurer
,
over the Saigus asteroid field to a place nowhere near Rhone. At a point about
where Earth’s orbit would be,
Adventurer
rolled onto its back and nosed
into the field.
Freefall
followed.

Rocks and boulders of every size filled Jordon’s main view
screen. Jordon left the piloting to
Freefall’s
A.I.

Making obsolete the need for a helmsman,
Freefall’s
computer brain would calculate the size and path of every rock and boulder in
their way to avoid the larger, more dangerous ones.

Once they were nearly a thousand miles inside the field, a
Corsair pulled out from behind a larger asteroid,
its hiding place
, and
moved up beside
Freefall
. Then another ship appeared, and another, until
Corsairs, Brigantines, and a couple of Xebecs surrounded
Freefall
,
leaving it no place in which to retreat. Once well inside the asteroid field,
at a place still far away from Rhone,
Adventurer
came to a halt.

Jordon thrummed the armrest with a roll of his fingers. “All
stop,
Freefall
.”

From
Adventurer
a shuttle left its hanger bay and
headed for
Freefall
. “Open the cargo bay,
Freefall
. Let’em in.”

“Affirmative.”

The shuttle landed. The bay door shut behind it. Buck and
David Courtney stepped from it and went to
Freefall
’s bridge. This time,
when Jordon offered his hand, his uncle took it. David Courtney, Buck’s ‘Second
in Command,’ had no issues with shaking Jordon’s hand. Jordon was glad to at
last properly welcome them aboard
Freefall
.

David Courtney served with Buck from the days when both were
ensigns in the then Prias’s Space corps. Shortly after signing on, Courtney had
‘found religion’—
as Jordon put it
—and had come to secretly worship some
deity he called Yeshua. Jordon didn’t much care for folks who did so, but he
didn’t hate them. The Confederation did, and made no bones about it. To be
openly religious in Confed territory simply wasn’t acceptable behavior. An
unwillingness to renounce Yeshua would cost a man his life.

David had once said he believed his prayers to Yeshua for
Buck brought about his friend and captain’s eventual conversion. At the time, Jordon
rolled his eyes at hearing it. Around these people, Jordon found himself
rolling his eyes often, so much so, the very act threatened to become a
mindless habit. The rolling of his eyes came to a sudden end when his mom ‘got
the religion.’ She would tolerate none of his doing so, calling him on it every
time until he learn to stop rolling his eyes altogether.

Jordon wasn’t happy about it, but didn’t oppose those who
chose—
uh hmm
—
that
way. Their being in the universe seemed to make
life just a wee bit better for everyone, and the changes Jordon saw in his mom
weren’t all that bad. She read more,
sure
, and she also became more at
peace with herself. And she grew more attentive to the needs of everyone around
her. That was fine, thought Jordon, as long as she left him alone about it. He
had his gizmos and gadgets, and that was enough. And for the most part, Mom was
more tolerant of others. All that is except one. Mrs. Kori didn’t take to Ericca.
The girl had been raised by whores, pirates, and brigands, his mom had said,
but Jordon didn’t care. And though Ericca was a major source of arguments
between Jordon and his mother, he never abandoned his loyalty to the girl. Ericca
was special, and that’s all he’d say about it.

Buchanan’s belief in Yeshua didn’t come to light until he
unwittingly tried to ambush
Freefall
near Hallibourn. Followers of
The
Way
, as Buck called them, valued life to a greater degree than did the
Confederates. Though reluctant, they
were
willing to kill if they had
too. Buck believed that when confronting a heartless foe you had to be just as
wily as the snake coming to get you.

Jordon was more of a catch and release kind of guy. Why kill
at all when duck and cover would do? In Jordon’s thinking, when facing an enemy
it was always better to appease than to confront. Ericca, of course, saw things
differently. He was only now beginning to see the merit in her ideals, but
wasn’t fully convinced.

Aware of the new arrivals, Mara entered the bridge. The
moment she saw Buck and David she hugged them and kissed their cheeks to extend
to them—
in her mind
—the proper greeting she’d missed earlier. She
stepped back a bit and lightly slapped her brother’s shoulder. “It’s been way
too long, you rat. You and Kathy have got to make a point to join us one of
these holidays.”

“Sorry, sis. Holidays are our busiest season. The folks in
these parts don’t have much, so my band of pirates and I see to it that the
Confederation bureaucrats, shall we say, donate to the cause.”

“Cause?” asked Mara. “What cause?”

“Cause they’re the thieves keeping these good folks poor.”

Mara chuckled at her brother’s lame attempt at humor. “Well
then,” she said, “you two must spend the night—you and Kathy.”

“
That
we can manage. Kathy and I would love nothing
better.”

Jordon prodded his uncle. “Come on folks, we need to get
these ships moving before the Confeds notices that we’ve stopped and decide to
move in on us before we’re ready.”

“We’ll move deeper into the field where you won’t be easily
detected. Then we can hole up there for as long as you like.” He turned to his
first officer. “David, relay the order.”

David nodded and raised his wrist communicator to his lips.
“Shuttle one, relay message to the
Adventurer
directly. Message: Come to
heading 111-192-036 and proceed at one-quarter-harbor speed. Courtney, out.” As
the ships resumed their course on the new heading, Jordon and his mom took Uncle
Buck and David into the seldom-used conference room to join Josh and Rachel who
were already there, to discuss the coming events and make plans. David and Buck
knew this area well.

Knowing they could add to the ambush in ways that would give
them every advantage, Jordon was happy to sit down with Buck and his associates
to hash out a few ideas. Joshua impressed everyone with his ability to size up
a situation and devise a way into and out of it. Rachel had ideas of her own.
As a gizmo-girl, she contributed to the dialog as would any expert engineer.
While Jordon understood everything she said, Buck, David, Josh, and Mara were
often left behind by the technical jargon. Race and Jordon were saying
something about Zero-point web emitters which were at present just theoretical.

Jordon’s mom soon became lost in the conversation that was
well beyond her understanding, so she graciously excused herself to make the
upcoming lunch.

“So, what do you think?” Jordon asked his uncle. “With your
help, and if we use this asteroid belt properly, can we take them?”

“We can,” Buck said, “assuming, of course, you and Race can
actually trap their Talons. But I’m still not happy with drawing the Confeds
straight to us. However, in this asteroid belt we’ll have the home court
advantage. If we
can’t
take them on in here, we
certainly
shouldn’t engage them out there in open space.”

“Captain Kori,” David said, “I have to agree with my captain
on this. Rhone is secret, and none of us need or want the Confederates to know
this is where we’re hiding. Leading them straight here puts us on their star
charts. Right now their map reads, ‘Here there be space monsters.’ I’d like to
keep it that way.”

“What happened to you Buck?” Jordon said irritably. “Used to
be you’d leap at a chance to scrap with the Confeds. Why the change of heart?”

“No change of heart, son. Had you said you wanted to tackle
them out there somewhere I’d rally the troops. But you want to bring them here,
right to my doorstep. That isn’t something I’m comfortable with doing.”

“Didn’t I see a wrecked space station floating near the
Saigus perimeter?” Joshua said. “Looks like the Confederacy’s been here
before.”

Buck
hmph
ed. “That was a Confed mining company,
boy
,
not a battle tested war-ready flotilla.”

“Could be nothing more than a scout ship tracking us,”
Rachel chimed in softly, “. . . something easily dealt with.”

“Could be a whole fleet,” her uncle retorted. “Heck, it
could be every blasted fleet in the quadrant. Big or small, a lot or a few, I
don’t care. I don’t want them brought here. Got that?” He narrowed angry eyes
on Jordon. “But to blazes with what I want. So . . . against my
better judgment, here we are ready to risk it all.”

Jordon felt his anger rise. Fact was, Buck was right, and
there was no use arguing the point. But still . . .

“As we speak,” Jordon said, “I have a team looking for those
tracking us. Can I wait here till they contact us?”

Buck and David exchanged a look . . .

“The longer he’s here, Captain” said David, “the greater our
risk of being discovered.”

Buck released a sigh through his nose. “The moment you hear
anything from the Archers, you tell me.”

“Will do.”

“Fine. I’ll introduce you to the other captains. If this plan
doesn’t sit well with them, then you’ll have to leave first thing in the
morning, Jordy.”

“Captain French, we’re not certain anyone is actually
following us,” Josh clarified.

“Then what are we talking about?” Buck said.

“I believe there’s a chance we are being tracked, sir,” Josh
said.

“And I thought,” said Jordon, “that if we are, we, with your
help, could turn the tables on them.”

Buck shook his head. “Then I suggest you do your best to
convince the others.”

“I’ll do my best. But can we discuss this other issue?”

Buck gave him a hesitant nod from.

Jordon leaned forward. “Are you going to help me end it all
or not, Buck. You never said.”

“Wait! What?” Courtney said. “End it all?”

Buck glanced at him before looking at Rachel. “I don’t know
that I can.”

“My brother has to die,” Rachel said. “I see no way around
it.”

“And I need you to help me get it done,” Jordon added.

Buck leaned forward to rest his elbows on the table and
scrutinized Jordon for a moment. “You’re making no sense. Why must you die?”

Jordon took and released a heavy breath. “No one must know
what I’m about to tell you. Not even Ericca. Understand?”

Buck pushed to his feet and went to the portal to peer out,
but his focus didn’t go beyond Jordon’s reflection in the glass. There was a
desperate look in Jordon’s face.

“Okay, fine, Jordy. I’ll hear you out but don’t ask me to
compromise my faith. There are lines I simply will not cross.”

“No one has to die but me, Buck, and I can’t do this alone.”

To pull off an ambush requires nerves of steel and
discipline to match. That’s why Jordon had come here; to a place where everyday
life challenged even a strong man’s soul. In taking on Confederate ships, he
wanted –
No
– he
needed
leverage. Here, the greatest advantage
was the field’s size. As big as a solar system, the ring of rocks were too
numerous to count, let alone sort through. If it had not been accidentally
stumbled upon, odds were against Rhone ever having been discovered. And so,
Buck’s reticence was hard for Jordon to understand.

The second best gain in coming here was Buck’s
battle-tested, war hardened rebels. These men knew how to fight well as a team,
and were flexible enough to respond quickly to surprises, modifying their
strategies to suit the ever-changing situations. If word came that the enemy
was indeed on their way, then he and Buck’s group would try to solidify
something of a plan over the next day or two.

That evening, Jordon, Buck, and David Courtney shuttled over
to
Lady Mae
, a corsair with its hold filled with minerals bound for
Providence. They found the ship’s captain alone on the bridge.

Captain Kelly Armstrong’s smile was sweet and soft as she
shook each man’s hand in turn. “Welcome aboard
Lady Mae
, Captain Kori,
Buck . . .” but when the
thirty-something
brunette took David
Courtney’s hand, she lingered.

“
David
, she said softly. But there was something in
her tone, the way she said his name, that said she had more than a professional
interest in the fleet’s Second in Command. David pretended—
poorly
—not to
notice.

Exchanging a look with Buck, Jordon rolled his eyes in utter
dismay.

Taking passage aboard
Lady Mae
, David’s assignment
was to deliver a message to Providence Prime, to the military HQ based there. His
mission; make clear to them that Saigus was engaging the Confeds and would need
Prov help.

“Seriously?” Kelly said, “A Prov fleet crossing the Confederate
border will mean war. Certainly Providence knows that. Who are we to them that they’d
provoke such a thing? I don’t think they’ll come.”

“Just be certain you mention Jordon Kori’s name,” Buck
urged, “They’ll come.”

“It’s in the bag, Kelly,” David said. “Just get me there,
and I’ll see they react as we want them too.”

Since Jordon Senior’s defection seven years ago, Providence
intelligence had failed to pinpoint Kori’s whereabouts. They didn’t know of the
senior Kori’s passing. They did know, however, that Jordon Junior was as gifted
as his dad had been. Given the chance, Prov would take Jordon in a instant. Until
now, even when working with Prov intelligentsia, Jordon had been sly enough to
stay two steps ahead of them, and just beyond their reach. Mentioning the
inventor’s whereabouts now would insure a response from them, a military
response.

With everything finalized, Buck asked David to see them back
to the shuttle, and then he and Captain Armstrong could be on their way. Once
out of Kelly’s earshot, Jordon turned to David, and threw an arm over his
shoulder. “So, you and this Kelly hitting it off?”

David recoiled. “I beg your pardon, sir. She is the captain
of this ship. I have a job to do. That is all.”

Jordon shrugged and backed away.

Buck, however, grabbed David by the scruff of the neck and
held him firmly to look straight into the man’s eyes. Buck’s tone was quiet and
calm but just as firm as his grip. “Now look here young man. My wife and Kelly
are going to be good friends. You marry her and that’ll make us friends-in-law.
So no more beating around the bush with me—just straight talk, am I
understood?”

“Now see here, Captain,” David protested.

“Why’s he your first officer again?” Jordon asked.

Buck squeezed harder and shook David slightly to make his
meaning clear. “You love her, don’t you?”

Defiant, David scowled and glared at the older man.

Buck met his glower and stared him down.

After a moment, David dropped his head. The fight in him
evaporated and his shoulders slumped. “Yes, I love her. Was I that obvious?”

“Now you’re talkin’.” Buck glanced at Jordon, but his expression
remained stern.

“Criminy, David,” Jordon said. “Are you really that blind?
Even I saw by the way you looked at each other that this was the case. But you . . .”
Jordon shook his head in disbelief, “. . . you aren’t being straight
about your feelings for her. Man, time is a luxury you can’t willy-nilly away.
You can’t afford to waste one second. You’ve got to tell her how you feel. And
you had better do it soon.”

“But how can I tell if she feels the same way about me?”

Buck slapped the back of the young man’s head. “For heaven’s
sake, man! You are second in command of this fleet’s flagship. How is it a man
of your stature becomes mush-for-brains around women? Now get in there and tell
her how you feel.”

“You’re going to Providence Prime,” Jordon said. “It’s a
nice place. Take her out. See the sights. Spend time with her. If after all
that you don’t discover how she feels about you . . .”

Buck released him, and David shrugged. “I’ll do that.” With
that, he said his farewells and headed back to the bridge.

Jordon climbed into the copilot’s seat as Buck slid in
behind the pilot’s controls.

Jordon gave his head a slight shake. “Your Second in
command, huh? Really?”

“He has his strengths,” Buck said, “but he has this stupid
need for military barring and proper protocol and all. He’s a good officer.
He’s just wound too tight. I’m hoping she’ll loosen him up some.”

“And if he marries her? Seems to me you’ll lose a good first
officer just as he becomes one.”

Buck grimaced. “Blast! I hadn’t thought of that.”