Weird Space 2: Satan's Reach (20 page)

H
E CAME TO
his senses briefly.

He tried to sit up, but his forehead touched something. He was in darkness, but the pain had ceased. Then he understood. He had died and they had buried him on Teplican... Only he hadn’t died because he was still alive. He was in a coffin. They had buried him alive!

He felt something crawl over his naked chest, then a sharp pain. He lost consciousness.

He came awake again, and light flooded the narrow confines where he lay, and with the light came awareness of his situation. He was not in a coffin. He touched his flank, where earlier he’d seen his guts tumbling out. He felt a slight scar. He pressed, amazed. There was no pain. He raised his head awkwardly and looked down the length of his body. Between his feet he could see the hatch of the med-pod.

And through the hatch he saw Zeela smiling in at him.

He lay back and closed his eyes. He recalled her grief-stricken face on Teplican, which had convinced him that he was dying... Now her smile celebrated his resurrection.

Later she opened the hatch and pulled out the slide-bed.

She stood back, staring at him. “The med-pod said you’d pull through, Den. But I didn’t believe it. All the blood, the...”

He sat up, swivelled off the slide-bed and stood, conscious of his nakedness. His clothes were piled neatly next to the med-pod and he dressed while Zeela watched him.

He felt weak and dizzy. He reached out and said, “Come here.”

She came, and he held her head to his chest.

“
Judi
contacted me,” she said. “We were on our way to the township, so we had to double-back for a laser. On the way down we planned what to do.
Judi
told us that the alien had you in the square, so Gina dropped me off and I crept between the buildings... I saw the Ajantan shoot you, Den. I thought you were dead. I never thought I could kill anything, but seeing it do that to you...”

“You’re a crack shot, girl.”

She shook her head. “You should have seen the laser. It practically fired itself. All I had to do was point it in the right direction. And then, when I saw you, the wound... Gina took over. She fixed you up, stopped the bleeding. We carried you onto the ship and put you in the med-pod.”

He sat on the slide-bed, taking deep breaths. “How long have I been in there?”

“Almost three days.”

He cocked his head, heard the thrumming of the maindrive. “We left Teplican?”

She nodded. “I consulted with
Judi
, and we thought it best. We didn’t want another Ajantan shuttle coming down.”

“Good work.”

“We’re heading for Vassatta, Den. The last port of call before Kallasta.
Judi
said you might be able to sell the steamboat engine there, and anyway we need to refuel.”

“You’ve thought of everything, between you.”

“And the good news is that there’s no sign of the Ajantan ship, or the bounty hunters.”

“It’s almost too good to be true,” he laughed. “Next you’ll tell me you’ve fixed a four course meal to celebrate my recovery.”

“Well,
Judi’s
done that, Den. You hungry?”

“Famished.”

They made their way to the flight-deck, Harper testing his body as he went. To say he’d been lasered in the guts three days ago, he felt remarkably well. He still felt a little shaky, but he suspected that that was because he hadn’t eaten for ages.

They sat in their slings and ate from pre-heated trays.

“I owe Di Mannetti my thanks,” he said. “One day I’ll call in on her at Amethyst station.”

“I told her all about the Ajantans, how you saved me from them. She said to say hi when you came round, and wished us a safe journey to Kallasta.”

“What have you been doing for three days?”

She shrugged, a forkful of pasta poised before her lips. “Keeping a vigil by the med-pod, taking the stuff Gina gave me for the withdrawal.”

He glanced at her. “How are you feeling?”

She laid her fork on the tray and held out a small hand. Her fingers trembled. “I get hot and cold sweats all day, I’m finding it hard to sleep, and I’m all shaky.” She shrugged. “But I’m fine. Gina said that in a few weeks the effects will wear off and I’ll be back to normal.”

He watched her as she ate. She took small mouthfuls, chewed deliberately, from time to time sipped her juice. They’d been through a lot together over the course of the past week, and he wondered if he would miss her company when he dropped her off at Kallasta. Well, he
would
miss her, of course – the question was, how long would it be before he slipped back into the old routine and
no longer
missed her?

“
Judi
,” he said. “When are we due to reach Vassatta?”

“In twenty hours and thirteen minutes.”

Zeela said, “
Judi
told me all about Vassatta while you were recovering. Have you been there before?”

“Once, many years ago. It was summertime, then, but it’ll be very different now.”

“
Judi
said it’s winter there.” She thought about it. “It must be strange, living on a planet where the winter lasts for a hundred years, and the summer only ten.”

“I expect it seems normal to the inhabitants. They must think it very strange to live on a world where the summers and winters last only months.”

“But a winter that lasts for a
hundred
years!” she said. “
Judi
said it’s a beautiful place.”

“Well, it was in summer. I took a party of tourists to see the Blooming. After such a long winter, the summer comes fast and the plants, dormant for so long, flower all across the world. It’s a spectacular show that covers vast plains and mountains...” He smiled at the recollection. “The tourists seemed very happy that they’d witnessed it.”

“I wonder what it’ll be like now, in winter?”

“Just as beautiful, or so I’m told, in its own way. Stromgard, the capital city, is built on a system of ice-canals. I’m looking forward to seeing the place. I just hope we can off-load the engine.”

“
Judi
thinks we will. She said you have contacts there.”

“I have contacts on most planets on the Reach,” he said, “but whether they’ll buy from me, or can put me in touch with people who can... that’s the question.”

The life of a star trader, he thought. It would be nice, once he’d returned Zeela to her homeworld, to get back into the routine again.

“Den,”
Judi
said a minute later. “We have company.”

Beside him, Zeela stiffened. He said, “Details, please.”

“The Ajantan ship. I suspect it’s been trailing us since we left Teplican, but out of detectable range.”

“How close is it now?”

“One and a half million, and gaining.”

Zeela sat up. “What do we do, Den?”

He thought about it. “
Judi
, why do you think they’re showing themselves? If they’ve been following us all along since Teplican... why play catch up now?”

“They wish to apprehend us before we make landfall at Vassatta?”

Harper grunted. “I don’t like the word ‘apprehend.’”

Judi
was silent for five seconds, and then said, “All is explained, Den. The Ajantans are attempting to contact us.”

“They are?” he said, surprised. He raised his eyebrows at Zeela, who pulled a worried face.

“Very well,” he said. “Put them through.”

Seconds later the grey void dissolved, giving way to the darkened interior of the Ajantan ship. Three tiny frog-figures, strapped into high couches, stared through the viewscreen.

Zeela said something under her breath.

“
Judi
,” Den said, “don’t reciprocate with visuals. Sound only.”

“Understood.”

The central Ajantan figure leaned forward and spoke in a series of hisses.

“
Judi
, respectfully ask it to speak in Anglais, if it wishes to communicate with us.”

“Affirmative,”
Judi
said.

The central alien cocked its head, evidently listening. It pointed to the viewscreen with a long, thin forefinger and spoke again, still in its own language.

Judi
said, “It says that you killed their only interpreter, Den. One moment, while I install a translation program.”

Seconds later the alien spoke again and a line of text scrolled across the foot of the viewscreen.

“We charge you with the murder of three... [untranslatable] Ajantans. You are criminals under Ajantan spatial law. We request the immediate handing over of the girl.”

“
Judi
, transmit this: Under human spatial law, the Ajantan treatment of humans on the world of Ajanta is deemed a criminal offence. Under no circumstances will I submit to the demand to hand over Zeela Antarivo.”

Judi
transmitted his reply, and a minute later the Ajantan replied.

“We request the girl... ensure her release... we will stop at nothing...”

“Tell them that threats will not succeed in altering my decision.”

The three Ajantans spoke to each other, then the central alien turned to the screen and spoke. The text read: “If you do not give us the girl... the girl who is
shisk
... we will take offensive action. You have been warned.”

“Please ask them to define the term ‘offensive action.’”

“Affirmative.”

A minute later the alien spoke. “If you fail to comply to our demands, we will destroy your ship.”

Den said, “How far away are the Ajantans now?”

“A million kilometres,” ship said.

Worriedly, Zeela asked, “Is that close enough for them to...?”

Harper interrupted. “I don’t know if it’s close enough for them to successfully fire at us, but...
Judi
, is the Ajantan ship within range of us to ensure its destruction if we fire within the next thirty seconds?”

“A computation of the current distance, and the destructive capabilities of a single missile, suggests that there is a sixty-five per cent chance of the Ajantan ship suffering complete destruction.”

Harper stroked his chin. “I don’t like those percentages.”

The Ajantan spoke again. “We will give you one minute, standard, for you to make your decision. Hand over the girl or suffer the consequences.”

Harper looked at Zeela. She was staring, wide-eyed, at the aliens on the viewscreen. She clutched the frame of her sling.

He said, “I’m going to say that I agree to their demand, but don’t worry...”

She stared at him. “Okay, Den.”

“
Judi
,” Harper said, “tell the Ajantans that I agree. Say that we are slowing down, and we will beam the docking protocols to them within minutes.”

“Affirmative.”

Harper watched the reaction of the trio on the viewscreen. They bent forward as one as
Judi
relayed his capitulation, then sat back and spoke amongst themselves. From their alien body language it was impossible to determine any sign of triumph.

“
Judi
, proceed to decelerate, and inform me when the Ajantan ship is close enough so that, when we fire, one hundred per cent destruction is assured.”

“Understood.”

“And close the visual link, please. I’ve seen enough of the Ajantans for the time being.”

The seconds ticked by. The silence lengthened. He turned and looked at Zeela. She was staring at the viewscreen as it flickered and, a second later, showed only the marmoreal void.

“I don’t like the idea of wiping out an entire ship and its crew,” he said. “But I must admit that, in the circumstances, as the ship in question does belong to the Ajantans... I won’t lose that much sleep over my decision.”

Zeela nodded. “I’m with you there, Den.”

“Den,”
Judi
said. “The Ajantan ship is within...” It stopped suddenly, then said, “Alert! Alert! The Ajantan ship has launched a missile.” So that had been their motive all along, to get within range and avenge the deaths of their colleagues.

Harper sat forward, pulse racing. “Evasive action?”

“Negative. We’re travelling too slowly to avoid impact.”

“Then... can you intercept with a missile of our own?”

“Affirmative.”

“Then do it!”

Harper gripped the frame of his sling. “And patch through a visual of the Ajantan ship.”

Almost instantly the image of the alien ship, bloated and wattled like a particularly ugly example of a deep sea fish, appeared on the viewscreen.

Zeela gasped. Something was heading directly towards them, a sleek black torpedo that had already covered half the distance between the ships. A simulation, Harper thought, as the missile itself would be too small to see in the void.

A second later
Judi
launched their own missile, and almost instantly the viewscreen bloomed with the resultant detonation as the missiles collided. The ship rocked as if caught in a storm and Harper held onto his sling as he was tossed from side to side. When the flash subsided, Harper stared at the Ajantan ship and made a snap decision. “
Judi
, fire two missiles, one after the other.”

“Affirmative.”

“Den?” Zeela asked.

“In case they try to intercept the first,” he said.

He stared at the screen. A stylised missile sped into view, heading straight for the alien ship – closely followed by a second.

“Look!” Zeela cried.

The Ajantans had responded with their own intercept missile. A black streak left their ship, crossed the gulf and impacted with the first outgoing missile. The screen flared a sudden orange. The ship yawed, and Harper and Zeela tipped in their slings. He stared at the screen, searching for the second missile. Then he saw it, streaking through the detritus of the detonated missiles and closing in on the alien ship.

He leaned forward, fists clenched, willing the missile to strike its target.

A second later it impacted, and the resultant explosion created a blinding white light on the viewscreen, which
Judi
thoughtfully muted... though it could do nothing to prevent the subsequent blast-front that reached the ship and tossed her bow over stern. The slings tightened, cocooning their occupants, and Zeela screamed while Harper closed his eyes. They hung upside-down for long seconds, like spiders in a vibrating web, until
Judi
righted herself and rode out the storm.