Captives in Obscurity: Sons of the Starfarers, Book V Page 5

  “Excellent work,” said Gulchina. “Charge weapons and initiate jump.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Why charge weapons?” Reva asked.

  “We never know what to expect when arriving in a new system. We must always be prepared.”

  Reva frowned. But if this star is uninhabited, who could possibly attack us? Then she remembered what Gulchina had told her about intelligent non-human life. It had sounded insane to her back then, but out here beyond even the Outworlds themselves, it no longer seemed so crazy.

  “Plasma cannons charged and hot,” said the weapons officer.

  “Coordinates set, beginning jump now,” said the pilot. “Brace yourselves.”

  The bulkheads began to hum and vibrate. Reva held her breath and gripped the back of Gulchina’s chair for support. The starfield out the forward window seemed to simultaneously grow larger and farther away as the vertigo of jumpspace seized her. She closed her eyes as the nausea began to grow in her stomach, and the humming grew loud enough to fill her ears. Just when she didn’t think she could take it anymore, everything flipped like a mirror, and the nausea abruptly went away. They were through.

  She opened her eyes and saw a glowing yellow crescent filling the forward window. It was a large terrestrial planet, shrouded in a yellowish-orange cloud canopy. As she watched, lightning briefly illuminated wisps of high-altitude clouds on the night side before returning to utter blackness.

  “We’re in a gravity well! Repeat, we’re in a gravity well!

  “Can you get our position? Stars of Earth!”

  “Triangulation failed, searching for new star. Do we have a lock on the system sun?”

  “I said, can you get our—”

  “There is no cause for panic,” Gulchina said calmly. “The jump beacon for this system is located securely in orbit. We should be in parallel orbit with it.”

  The men worked furiously at their consoles. Eventually, the head astrogator looked up.

  “You’re right, sir. We’re safely in orbit.”

  “Close-range scanners, report,” said Gulchina.

  “Nothing on the scanners except the beacon,” the officer reported. “According to the beacon’s telemetry, the supply cache should be on the opposite side of the planet, about a hundred klicks above us.”

  “Good. Stand down to alert level four and maintain our current position.”

  Gulchina rose to her feet and straightened out her uniform. She nodded to Wolf and faced Reva.

  “Now I must depart,” she said in Reva’s language. “Carry on well, and upon my return, thou shalt be richly rewarded.”

  What is that supposed to mean?

  Gulchina turned to the rest of the bridge. “Excellent work, men. I expected nothing less than the best from you, and it gratifies me to see it.”

  The officers sat a little taller at the compliment. All eyes were on her now.

  “There are matters with the rest of the fleet that I must see to at once,” she continued. “I will take one of the outriders and return in approximately two weeks, if all goes well.”

  “Does this have to do with the Starfire, Captain?” Wolf asked.

  “Indeed, it does. When I return, the fleet will be reunited. Until then, you are to wait here and guard the rendezvous point. Understand?”

  “Yes, sir,” the officers said with one voice.

  “I am leaving Commander Wolf in command,” Gulchina said. “You are to obey his orders as if they came from me. If I do not return, you will not attempt to follow. The route to this system has been expunged from the nav-computer, and the distance to the nearest inhabited star is too great for you to make on your own.”

  “Then what are we supposed to do if you fail to return?” one of the officers asked.

  Gulchina eyed him for an uncomfortable few seconds. “I will not fail. Understand?”

  “Yes, sir,” the men chorused.

  “When I return,” she said, sensing their uncertainty, “it will be with the spoils of Aslan’s victory. Our fleet will be strengthened a hundredfold, and we will use this planet as a base to raid every star from here to the Good Hope Nebula.”

  Her words elicited a hearty cheer from the men, who clearly preferred raiding and pillaging to guarding a place that no one else knew existed. Amid their cheers, Gulchina stepped out.

  Reva turned to Wolf, who eyed her contemptuously. She smiled and gave him a nod, but his expression did not change.

  “What is the name of this place?” she asked.

  “Star’s End.”

  An ominous name.

  She opened her mouth to speak, but the coldness in his eyes sent shivers down her spine. Instead, she decided that the best thing to do was leave.

  It was almost as if he knew exactly what she and Gulchina had been talking about.

  * * * * *

  Isaac woke from sleep to find rough hands dragging him from his bunk. His eyes jolted open and he struggled to break free, but their grip was too strong for him. A blow struck him in the cheek, stunning him as he gradually came to his senses.

  “Who’s that?” he screamed. “What’s going on?”

  For an answer he received another blow, this one to his side. He gasped for breath and tried to nurse the wound, but the edge of a boot struck him in his back, sending pain across his side.

  “Ow!” he cried.

  Blow after blow rained down on him, some with fists, others with boots, and still others with what felt like rods or batons. He screamed and curled up into a ball, his heart racing so fast he felt as if he were choking.

  Everything was a blur, and the only thing he could perceive with any sharpness was the pain. It was the pain that told him that this was real, that he was awake—though why the pirates were beating him, he had no idea.

  “Stop!” he begged. “Please, stop!”

  After a few more blows, hands took him by the arms and pulled him to his feet. He was too weak to stand, so they dragged him through the heavy-grated door of his cell.

  “Strip him down,” someone ordered.

  “What?” Isaac cried. “Please, I—”

  A hard slap to the face made his head spin. The hum of a laser-knife sounded near his collar, followed by the smell of something burning. He held still, his body trembling with terror, and the hands ripped off his clothes, leaving him naked.

  “Wrists on the bulkheads.”

  Panic filled Isaac’s veins with adrenaline, giving him renewed strength. He had no idea what was happening, but he knew that he had to get out before these people hurt him. As they lifted his hands up in the air, he squirmed out of their grasp and broke free.

  “Bastard! Stop him!”

  Run! Isaac told himself, forcing his groggy legs to move. He made it only a few steps, however, before a sharp electric sizzle and the crack of a whip sent him to the floor.

  For a split second, he lay stunned, his body unresponsive. Then the pain filled his senses—pain unlike anything he’d ever felt before. It was as if every nerve across the small of his back had simultaneously caught fire. He gasped and opened his mouth, but could not scream. All he could do was surrender to the agony and hope that it all passed soon.

  Before it did, hands grabbed him again and pulled him to his feet. They fastened his wrists into shackles and dragged him above the floor.

  “Stupid bastard,” someone said. “Where are you going to run? Who’s going to save you now?”

  Reva, Isaac thought as the men began to laugh. He closed his eyes and forced his panicked mind to think. Where was she? Had she sold him out? Was this the final act of her betrayal?

  The whip cracked again, lashing against his side this time. His back arched, and the muscles in his arms and legs went tight.

  “Aeeiii!” he screamed. The whip cracked and lashed him again.

  * * * * *

  Reva checked her wrist console and frowned. Barely a few hours had passed since Gulchina had left, and Commander Wolf was already asserting his authori
ty. His message was terse and direct; he had summoned her to the cargo hold. Exactly what for, he didn’t say.

  That man is going to be a problem, Reva thought as she dropped her wrist console on the side table and lay back on her cot. She was alone in her quarters, and therefore free to be unclothed. Did Wolf know that? Was this a deliberate attempt to off-balance her? She knew that he saw her as a threat to his ambitions, and perhaps rightly so. With Gulchina gone, she would have to tread carefully and watch her back.

  At length, she rose to her feet and withdrew her uniform from the closet compartment. She hated the feel of the synthetic fabric against her skin, but put it on anyway, ignoring her discomfort. If this was indeed a ploy to upset her, Wolf would soon learn that it would take more than that.

  His choice of location disturbed her, however. The last time she’d been summoned to the cargo hold, Ensign Matsuda had committed his ritual suicide. And before that had been the execution of Corporal Sarnai.

  Just to be safe, she used her console to check the ship’s roster. Everyone was on duty, exactly as scheduled. Whatever Wolf had planned for her, it was planned for her alone.

  Should I take a weapon? Reva wondered. Even if she should, Gulchina hadn’t issued her one, and Reva doubted the armory would open for her. For all the freedom that Gulchina had given her, she was still a captive.

  He wouldn’t kill me outright, she told herself. If he did, Gulchina would skin him alive when she returns. The realization calmed her somewhat, but not enough to set her at ease.

  When she finished dressing herself, she took a moment to look in the mirror. The tattoos on her face and hands were still dark and fresh, a testament to the quality of Gulchina’s work. It looked odd to have the majority of the tattoos covered by the bland dark-blue fabric of her clothes, but that was how it had to be. She adjusted her belt to rest loosely on her hips and left for the cargo hold.

  As she stepped into the elevator, she received another message from Wolf via her wrist console. It was even more terse than before, ordering her to come at once. She chose to ignore it.

  The elevator reached the level of the cargo hold, and the doors swung open. Reva stepped into the main bay and froze.

  Three men were present: Wolf and two armed guards. They were large, thuggish men that Reva did not recognize. One of them carried an assault rifle, while the other held a shock prod. A drone bot hovered in the corner, no doubt recording everything.

  But the sight that made Reva’s blood run cold was the scene in the airlock. Isaac hung from his wrists, his jaw slack and his head dangling over his chest. His eyes were open, but his body was limp, and there were bright red welts and streaks of blood across his skin. He was naked, just like Corporal Sarnai before his execution.

  “Ah, Reva,” said Wolf. “I see you did receive my summons after all. I was just about to send my men to collect you.”

  “What is this?” Reva asked, her voice low and tense.

  “This man, a one-time colleague of yours, was found plotting to escape. As you well know, the punishment for such an act is death. Normally, the execution would be carried out in full view of the crew, but since you are the only one on the ship who has any connection with him, I have decided to proceed with more… discretion in this case.”

  What is your game, you sick bastard? Reva wondered frantically. Behind the glass, Isaac lifted his head and began to stir.

  “Is that all?” she asked, clenching her fists.

  “No, it is not,” said Wolf. He stepped forward, his small dark eyes never leaving hers. “During our interrogation of the prisoner, he implicated you as an accessory. Based on his confession, we believe that you were planning to escape together.”

  Sweat began to form on the back of Reva’s neck. “That’s a lie.”

  “You deny it, then?”

  “Gulchina and I have already discussed this matter and have come to… an understanding. If you kill me with him, you will have to answer to her.”

  “Your threats do not intimidate me,” said Wolf, standing less than a hand’s breadth away from her. “But if you wish to prove your innocence, then do it by carrying out the execution yourself.”

  Reva’s gut clenched, and her heart leaped in her throat. She glanced at Isaac, who was fully awake now and struggling against the shackles in spite of his wounds. There was fear and desperation in his eyes, and a deep sense of hurt as well.

  He thinks that I betrayed him, Reva realized. Maybe he’s right.

  “Gulchina and I have already discussed this,” she said. “We should wait until—”

  “Captain Gulchina has left me in full command, and I see no reason to wait for her to return.”

  “But—you can’t kill him.”

  Wolf raised an eyebrow. “Why not?”

  “Because…” Reva said, her mind racing. “Because he’s a valuable bargaining chip.”

  “We need no bargaining chips in our dealings with the Outworld Confederacy. When Gulchina returns with the Starfire, our forces will be unstoppable. Why, then, should I save this pitiful excuse for a man?”

  “Please,” Reva pleaded. “Please, don’t kill him.”

  “I’m not going to kill him. You are.”

  He took her by the arm and dragged her to the control board just to the side of the airlock. On the other side of the glass, Isaac’s eyes went wide.

  “This is the switch to release the shackles, and these are the controls to operate the airlock. You will release the prisoner and vent him into space, or we will drag you in there to die with him.”

  “You wouldn’t dare!”

  “I don’t know what sort of arrangement you worked out with the captain,” Wolf said, “but she left command to me.”

  “It’s still her ship!”

  He drew a pistol from the holster at his waist and jabbed it into Reva’s side. “Do you think that I’m bluffing? Go ahead, try me.”

  Reva gripped the edges of the control panel and drew a sharp breath. As she stared at Isaac, images from the execution flashed before her mind. The corporal, weak and filled with terror. The rabid chanting of the crew. The body, floating out into the eternal void of space.

  “Well?”

  “You haven’t given the prisoner a chance to save his honor,” she said, her voice surprisingly calm. “I can’t reasonably execute him until you do.”

  Wolf frowned. “What are you talking about?”

  “Whenever Gulchina conducts an execution, she gives the condemned prisoner a chance to take his own life first. That’s what the shackles are for. She places the gun on the floor, releases the shackles, and gives him a chance to redeem his honor.”

  “She’s right, sir,” one of the guards said.

  Wolf scowled. “This is not a formal execution.”

  “But you are conducting it in your capacity as captain,” said Reva. “And I assume that bot is meant to record it for her. What will she say when she reviews what you’ve done?”

  Wolf’s grip on her arm tensed. For a moment, she wondered if he’d kill her for speaking out of turn. Instead, he released her.

  “Give the whore an energy pistol,” he ordered the guard on his right.

  The man stepped forward and withdrew a small gun from the holster at his side. He flicked a switch and flipped it expertly in his hand, extending it grip-first to Reva. It hummed as she took it from him.

  “It’s charged for a single shot,” said the guard. “That’s all he needs.”

  Not if I have anything to do with it.

  She turned to Wolf. “Did Gulchina put you up to this? Is this her final test?”

  “Give the prisoner the gun.”

  “I demand to know. Are you doing this under her orders, or are you acting on your own?”

  He leveled his pistol at her. “Do it!”

  Reva took a moment to glare at him before turning and walking to the airlock. His weapon still in hand, Wolf keyed the control panel, and the transparent door slid open.

  “
Reva!” Isaac cried. “Reva, what’s going on?”

  “I’m sorry,” she said, loud enough that Wolf could hear. Her thumb flicked over the switch on the energy pistol, and it hummed as it rose to full charge.

  Isaac’s eyes widened. “Reva? Please, I—”

  “Are you ready to go?” she whispered as she knelt to place the gun at his feet. Her eyes never left his.

  He stared at her a moment, then gave her a knowing nod. “Yes,” he said softly.

  “Then I’m ready, too.”

  She rose to her feet and returned to the control panel. Wolf stepped aside as the door slid shut.

  “There,” he said. “Now vent him.”

  Reva’s hands shook, and her knees felt weak. She glanced at Wolf, who jabbed the gun into her side, and at the two guards who flanked him on either side. She felt as if she were going to throw up.

  “Do it.”

  She turned to the airlock and carefully flipped the switch. The shackles opened, releasing Isaac from his bonds. He fell to his knees and stayed there for a moment before rising with the pistol in his hands.

  “You have five seconds,” said Wolf. “One. Two…”

  Isaac gripped the gun with both hands and nodded at her. Her heart hammered.

  “Three—”

  Her hand flew across the control panel and opened the airlock door—not the one facing out into space, but the one that faced the cargo hold. The moment it slid open, Isaac raised his pistol and started firing.

  The next few moments passed in a blur. Reva spun and grabbed Wolf’s arm, pushing his gun aside. It discharged in the struggle, but somehow she managed to pull him back and slam him against the control panel. The shots from Isaac’s energy pistol sizzled off to her side. She pulled Wolf’s arm behind him and frantically grabbed for his gun.

  “Bitch!” he screamed, thrashing out against her.

  The pistol fell to the ground, and the nearest guard dropped to his knee. As he leveled his rifle at Isaac, Reva kicked him with all her strength. Wolf threw a punch at her, but she ducked. The air sizzled and flashed as a shot passed only inches from her face.

  “Watch out!” Isaac shouted.

  The other guard was down, and the smell of burning flesh told her that he was dead. Isaac ran forward, screaming as he fired, but the other guard tackled him to the floor. At the same time, Wolf lunged for the gun.