Resist the Red Battlenaut (25 page)

 

Scott was starting to worry. Cairn had been alone in the cargo bay for over an hour without letting out a peep.

"Still nothing?" Donna kept her eyes trained on the viewport in front of her, where the disk of Bellerophon's solar system was quickly approaching.

Scott stood behind her, rubbing her shoulders. "I guess it was a dumb idea." He sighed. "The guy just tried to blow himself
up
, for crying out loud."

"I think it was worth a try," said Donna. "Sooner or later, you need him to cooperate."

"Which I can't
do
if he
strangled
himself with a coil of
cable
." Scott stopped massaging her and stepped away, heading for the door. "I'd better go check on him."

"Just watch out in case he's waiting to
ambush
you," said Donna.

Scott was about to say something when the door slid open, and he nearly collided with Cairn, who was coming through from the other side. Both of them stumbled a step to avoid bumping into each other.

"Watch where you're going!" snapped Cairn, who didn't exactly sound conciliatory.

"
You
watch!" Scott was relieved to see him but knew better than to show it. "Next time, I'll go right
through
you."

Cairn pushed forward, getting right in his face. "I'd like to see you
try
." He lingered for a moment, gaze locked with Scott's...and then, when Scott didn't flinch, he brushed past him and sprawled over the command chair as he'd done earlier.

Watching him, Scott wondered if his strategy had worked, or if Cairn was just playing along and picking his moment. At least he hadn't killed himself--but that might come later, at a much worse time.

"So how long till the big dance?" asked Cairn. "When do we get to your supposed nest of Reds?"

"One hour, forty-five minutes," said Donna. "That's a half-hour sooner than expected."

"Good," said Cairn. "I can't wait to see
that one's
face when he realizes he's come to the wrong place." Laughing, he hiked a thumb over his shoulder at Scott.

"
That
won't happen." Scott walked up and bumped Cairn's right leg off the armrest with his hip. "All you'll see is a big
smile
as we mow down those Reds."

Cairn shook his head and sneered. "Whatever you say, Boss."

"Good," said Scott. "That's what I like to hear."

"I just have one question for you," said Cairn. "What happens after we're done? What's your plan?"

Scott gazed at the viewport and shrugged. "Don't know. Haven't thought that far ahead."

"Typical." Cairn snorted. "You let me know when you figure it out, okay?"

"I'll be sure to keep you in the loop," said Scott.

"That's what friends are for, right?" Cairn said it sarcastically, then laughed and threw his leg back over the armrest.

Grinning, Scott knocked the leg off the armrest again. "Truer words were never spoken."

 

*****

 

An hour and a half later, the
Sun Bin
closed in on Bellerophon Station--a sprawl of black domes on a tiny, airless moon orbiting a bigger moon in orbit around a gas giant. It was a low-profile outpost in a remote corner of Commonwealth space, the perfect location for a secret black ops facility turned conspiracy headquarters.

"They haven't hailed us yet." Donna's fingers danced over the dashboard. "There's no radio traffic at all. No outgoing signals of any kind."

"Oh, well. Nobody home," said Cairn, who was still draped over the command chair. "Guess we'd better turn around."

Scott ignored him and leaned over Donna's shoulder for a closer look at the viewport. "I don't see any activity down there. What about heat signatures?"

"Power's on under the domes," said Donna. "Beyond that, I can't be more specific."

"Life signs?" asked Scott.

"Hard to map." Donna frowned at a holographic chart hovering in front of her. "Something in the domes is interfering with sensors. Some kind of shielding." Her fingers flickered across the controls, and the holo chart changed. "There could be several dozen lifeforms in there or several hundred."

"Way to narrow it down," said Cairn.

"Weapons?" asked Scott.

"Six missile batteries installed around the complex," said Donna. "None currently powered up or targeted. No detectable weapons locked on us at this time."

Scott felt the hairs stand up on the back of his neck. "They're watching us. Waiting until we cross the line, wherever that is."

"Orrr...," said Cairn, "they're just a bunch of friendly
miners
who'd never
dream
of shooting at a Commonwealth ship."

"Keep going." Scott turned to Cairn. "All ready?"

"If you mean am I ready to die of
boredom
, then hell yes," said Cairn. "Sign me up."

"You'll need to talk our way in there," said Scott.

"What are you
smoking
?" snapped Cairn. "There aren't any
Reds
here. We've got the
run
of the place."

"Just get ready," said Scott. "Think of what you're going to say to them."

"Other than, 'Hey there, people who aren't Reds?'" Cairn laughed. "'What's it like, not using mind control to take over the quadrant?'"

"Ten kilometers and closing," said Donna. "Still no change."

"There will be." Scott ran through a mental checklist of the preparations he'd made. He remembered getting the Battlenauts ready to go and putting them in standby mode; every step was clear in his memory. He also recalled going over his plan with Donna, reviewing it three times from start to finish. As for Cairn, the less he knew, the less he'd be tempted to wreck it; Scott had sketched a few points and otherwise kept him in the dark about the details.

Scott, his people, and his gear were as ready as they were ever going to be. And go-time was coming any minute now; he could feel it in his bones like a storm approaching.

"Five kilometers," said Donna. "Still nothing."

"Bo-ring." Cairn yawned loudly. "I'm taking a nap. Wake me when you've set course for Tack."

As Bellerophon Station grew larger in the viewport, Scott could make out more details of the complex. A big, six-sided landing pad sprawled in the middle of the cluster of domes, occupied by three small ore haulers. The black domes themselves, which had looked smooth from a distance, were actually covered with grooves and studded with antennas and other instrumentation. The domes gave off a pale glow, a faint nimbus of dust, radiant energy, or refracted light.

Arranged in a circle around them, the six missile batteries pointed in the
Sun Bin
's general direction. They were big enough to push out some serious megatonnage; the
Sun Bin
, a light jump-ship built for speed rather than combat, wouldn't stand a chance once they cut loose.

The question was, when would that happen?

"One kilometer and closing," said Donna. "Missile batteries remain powered down. No missile locks, no movement, no signals of any kind."

"I hate to say 'I told you so,'" said Cairn. "But..."

"Five hundred meters," said Donna.

Scott leaned down beside her, bracing himself on the dashboard. "That's right, dipshits," he said, talking to the Reds he imagined watching from below. "We're calling your bluff."

"Three hundred meters," said Donna. "Switching to thrusters. I'll put her down on that landing pad in the middle of the compound."

Just then, a loud beeping noise erupted from the dashboard. A blinking yellow holo popped up over the middle of the viewport, displaying a column of statistics that told the tale.

Scott knew what it meant immediately. "They're hailing us."

"Audio only," said Donna. "And that's not all they're doing." Another holo appeared on the left side of the viewport, bright red this time. "Three missile batteries just powered up."

Scott's heart pounded. "Open the channel," he said, "and set thrusters to station-keeping. But be ready for evasive maneuvers."

Donna nodded as her fingers played the controls. "Already ahead of you, Solomon."

As Scott waited for the call to connect, he looked back over his shoulder--and saw Cairn standing behind him instead of sprawling in the command chair. Their eyes met, an unspoken message flashing from Scott to Cairn:
I told you so
. But Cairn just shrugged and turned to watch the viewport.

"Putting the call on speakers," said Donna. "Good luck."

She flicked one last switch, and a man's deep voice rolled into the control room. "Bellerophon Station to unknown vessel. Identify yourself."

"This is the jump-ship
Sun Bin
," said Scott, leaving out the part about it being a CORE spacecraft. "Request permission to land for emergency repairs."

There was a pause on the other end of the call. "What repairs, specifically? Your ship appears to be in working order."

"Problems with the oxygen scrubbers," said Scott. "The ship flies fine, but none of us will be live through the trip to our destination, which is thirty light-years away."

Another pause. "Request denied. Recommend you proceed to Warwick III, distance three light years from this location."

"You do realize we'll all be dead by the time we get there," said Scott.

"Suggest you administer cryogenic procedures to conserve life support," said the voice from Bellerophon.

"We don't
have
cryogenic equipment," snapped Scott.

"You have thirty seconds to alter course," said the voice.

Donna muted the call. "He's right. The three powered-up missile batteries have just targeted us."

Scott smiled grimly at Cairn. "Then I guess it's time for a word from the captain." Grabbing him by the arm, he pulled him forward. "Take it off mute, Donna."

Donna hit a button and gave him the thumbs-up.

"Bellerophon Station, please hold for the commander of this vessel." Scott nodded at Cairn and gave his shoulder a squeeze. "Captain Cairn Barrie."

For a long moment, Scott thought Cairn wasn't going to cooperate. He just stood there, glaring, with his jaws and fists clenched, saying nothing.

Scott nodded encouragingly, yet still Cairn kept his mouth shut. So much for the great plan; it looked like Scott was going to have to switch tracks and explain why "Captain" Barrie couldn't join the call after all.

But just as Scott gave up and opened his mouth to speak, Cairn finally took the leap. "This is Captain Cairn Barrie," he said. "Request permission to land, Bellerophon Station."

There was silence on the other end of the call.

Cairn cleared his throat and tried again. "I repeat, this is Captain Cairn Barrie requesting permission to land."

There was another moment of silence before the voice from Bellerophon replied. "Did you say 'Cairn Barrie?'"

"Affirmative," said Cairn.

Another pause from Bellerophon. "Verify your credentials immediately or be destroyed."

Cairn looked at Scott with an expression that slowly changed from angry resistance to disgusted resignation. He flipped up his right middle finger in an obscene gesture just for Scott, then looked away and spoke up once more.

"This is Cairn Barrie," he said. "I.D. number Alpha Bravo seven five niner whiskey victor six...red." When he said the last word, he showed Scott the obscene gesture again without looking at him.

"Challenge epsilon three," said Bellerophon. "Good ships are in short supply in this sector. How do you respond?"

Cairn hesitated, then sighed. "I know a dealer who can sell you one cheap."

There was another pause from Bellerophon Station, the longest yet. Scanning Donna's readouts, Scott could see that the three missile batteries were still charged and aiming at the
Sun Bin
.

Then, finally, the voice rolled out of the speakers again. "Permission to land granted, Captain Barrie. Please proceed."

"Affirmative," said Cairn.

"Bellerophon control out," said the voice, and then the speakers fell silent.

Everyone in the control room seemed to relax at once--except for Cairn, who looked like something had crawled up his butt and died.

His lies had been exposed. It was clear now that Bellerophon Station was in Red hands, and he had known all about it, right down to the challenge and response code they needed to get through the front door.

Scott was glad for the confirmation that he'd come to the right place; finally, he could set aside his doubts and focus on the mission ahead. He was also glad he wouldn't have to listen to Cairn's denials anymore.

Part of him wanted to go up to Cairn and rub it in, put him in his place now that the truth was out--but Scott knew that wouldn't help the cause. The goal was continued cooperation, not increased animosity.

It was better to stay all business. "Great work, Cairn." Scott considered trying for a handshake, then settled for a nod instead. "Donna, take us down."

"Already on it, Solomon." Donna's fingers flew over the controls, and the
Sun Bin
started its descent.

Through the viewport, Scott could see the black domes of Bellerophon Station approaching. He could also see the missile batteries moving to keep the
Sun Bin
in the crosshairs.

"How long until landfall?" asked Scott.

"Twenty minutes, give or take," said Donna.

"Long enough to send Perseid a message," said Scott. "Tell him we were right about Bellerophon Station. Tell him we're going in."

"Roger that, Solomon," said Donna.

Scott leaned down and gave her a lingering kiss on the lips. Then he drew back, smiled, and did it again.

"How romantic," Cairn said sarcastically. "All we need's some violin music in the background."

This time, it was Scott's turn to flip a middle finger at Cairn.

Cairn snorted. "Let's get this cluster-flux over with," he said, and then he stomped toward the exit.

Scott pulled back from Donna. "Any last questions?"

Her eyes sparkled as she held his gaze. "Are you coming back to me?"

"Hell yes." He kissed her again. "I'd have to be a pretty big jerk
not
to."

"Damn right." Donna grinned. "Now get out of here. I'm sick of looking at your face."

One more kiss, and Scott left her at the controls. "Good luck!" he said as he ran for the door.

"You break a leg, too," said Donna. "And don't keep me waiting!"

"Wouldn't dream of it!" said Scott as he ran out of the control room. "How long can saving the Commandant and the Commonwealth possibly
t
ake
?"

And then the door slid shut and he was gone.