The Rush's Edge Read online

  “I try,” she smiled, then paused her steps a moment. “I’m truly sorry about your captain.”

  She felt like she had to say something, but it was ridiculous to even attempt to address the injustice of dying at thirty-seven. She was nearing the high side of fifty and couldn’t imagine what it was like to know your time was running down so young. Most of the vats she’d known never talked about their last days until they got there. Hal certainly didn’t, but the day’s events made her wonder if he thought about it more than he admitted.

  When she looked up, she saw that Patrin didn’t know what to say either. He put a hand on her shoulder briefly. “It is what it is,” Patrin said, simply.

  FOURTEEN

  Once they were well underway, Hal went to check on Tyce.

  “How is he?” Hal asked Vivi, who had taken a seat by the bed. He could see she had removed the IV as Beryl had instructed.

  “His vitals are returning to normal,” she said, checking the medscanner. As she turned to Hal, she eyed the bowl of noodles, giant mug of coffee and the bottle of water he was carrying on a small tray. He put it down then handed the noodles and bottle over to her.

  “You made food?”

  “Nah, don’t get too excited; Lane made it. It’s OK – I kept my eye on her.” Hal took a sip of coffee, knowing he’d need the caffeine kick. The rush from both the hand-to-hand combat and then the confrontation with the corvette had melted away once they’d met the crew of the other vat ship, and he could feel his body trying to crash.

  Vivi stood eating while he sat on the nearby medbed. “Do you think our guests are dangerous enough that we need to watch them?” she asked.

  He shrugged. “I don’t know. They haven’t done anything, but unknowns are a threat in my book. They can’t go anywhere but the galley and hallways – I sealed off the bridge and engineering to allow only our access codes, so we should be safe enough for now. I told them to find us here when they were finished eating.”

  Vivi nodded and began to dig in hungrily. Neither of them had eaten anything since that morning. Due to the rush he’d been on, Hal had been starving when he finally had the chance to eat, and he had figured Vivi would feel the same.

  After a few minutes, Hal heard their guests’ footsteps coming down the hall and then they appeared in the open doorway. “Is there someplace we could hit the rack for a while?” Lane said. “We don’t need anything but a floor if that’s all you have.”

  Hal considered her carefully. She had been straight with him, and neither she nor Orin had given him any reason to be suspicious so far. He was self-aware enough to realize his distrustful nature was ingrained from his training and this whole fucked-up situation. “Sure. You can crash in my quarters,” he said.

  She nodded and signed to her friend. He signed back in reply, glancing to Hal. “Orin says thank you,” Lane translated.

  “He hasn’t seen my room,” Hal said, a wry smile on his features as he hopped off the medbed to show them the way.

  After getting Lane and Orin settled in, Hal cleaned up the mess in Vivi’s room, as well as the cargo bay. If they got stopped by the ACAS, he didn’t want anything to give rise to any suspicions. He also didn’t want Vivi to see the blood and brains of the man he’d killed spattered on her wall.

  Once done, he returned to find the medbay in the semidarkness of the night cycle. Ty was asleep and his regular, even breaths reassured Hal. He checked his captain’s dressing and made certain that the bleeding was still arrested. The coagulant that Beryl had given Ty was doing its job while his body began to knit itself back together. He knew that nats healed slower than vats did, and that made him more concerned for his captain’s health.

  Vivi had fallen asleep in the chair by the bed. When he was done checking Ty, Hal came over and knelt by her. “Veevs?” he said, shaking her gently.

  She sat up, startled. “What’s wrong?”

  “It’s OK. Let’s get you moved to the medbed. You can sleep in here.”

  She stood up. “I can sleep in my room.”

  He shook his head, guiding her to the bed. “If you’re in here, I know you’re OK.” He wasn’t going to take no for an answer. “I’ll watch over you and Ty while you sleep.”

  “Wake me up in a couple of hours and we can switch places,” she said with a yawn.

  “We’ll see,” he said, settling into her chair and propping his feet up on the bottom rail of the bed. He asked Runa to alert him if the door to his quarters opened during the night, but it was precaution only. Something to help quiet the nagging sense of danger prickling in his thoughts. He was definitely coasting at an orange threat level. He wouldn’t truly be comfortable again until the strangers were gone.

  He pulled his blaspistol onto his lap and sat with his hand resting lightly on top of the ridged grip. Hope for the best but prepare for the worst. It had been one of Ty’s earliest lessons.

  The pirates’ ship was at the rendezvous the next evening. The two vats, Hal, Vivi, and Tyce were all waiting for Beryl when she stepped out of the airlock. Ty had woken that morning still in a bit of pain, but he felt worlds better upon seeing his medic crossing over to him with Patrin following behind.

  “How’d it go?” he asked.

  “Fine,” Beryl replied. “Am I still demoted?” she teased.

  “Consider yourself reinstated,” Ty replied.

  “How are you feeling?”

  “If you call sleeping for fourteen hours fine, then I’m great,” Ty said.

  “I met the Hesperus’ captain. He’d like to see you, if you feel up to it,” Beryl said.

  Ty considered a moment, glancing to Patrin, whose face gave no hint to the pirate’s intentions.

  “My captain insists,” Patrin said.

  “Yeah, OK. You, Hal, and Vivi handle the Loshad.”

  “Sorry, Cap. I’m going with you,” Hal stepped up.

  Ty smiled ruefully. “Thought you might. But I had to try.” He knew that Hal had probably not slept in the last forty-eight hours and had to be tired. But he had to admit, he would be glad to have Hal at his back. What else could this captain want from them? Was his plan to separate them all, kill Ty and Hal, then take the ship and set Vivi and Beryl adrift in a lifepod? Ty’s stomach churned at the thought, but there wasn’t much he could do about it.

  He turned to Beryl and Vivi. “I’ll let you know when we’re on the way back.”

  He glanced at Hal, then followed Patrin through the docking rings. “Lead the way.”

  FIFTEEN

  Scalpel had gotten word to move on his target as soon as possible. He’d spent the last few days just watching and waiting, observing Fortenot’s habits and patterns. That was the thing about stalking. It was too easy once you discovered your target’s patterns and routines. The places they hung out, the friends they had, how long it would be until someone missed them… It was necessary to understand how the intricate parts of a life connected before you made your move.

  Fortenot was drunk. The third time this week, but to a higher degree. Scalpel shadowed his staggering target down the lifts and avenues of the station, until they reached the door to the hab unit that contained his quarters. Fortenot put his fingerprint on the scanner and Scalpel slipped in behind him before the door closed.

  They reached the lift and Scalpel entered beside Fortenot. He gave the nat a grin as he switched his duffelbag from one hand to the other, to leave his gun hand free.

  Fortenot spoke, “Haven’t seen you before. Just move in?” His eyes were suspicious, even through the shiny haze of alcohol.

  “Yeah, man. This is much better than my old place on F-12. Just got a job with LabServ. Decided it was time to move up, you know.” Scalpel’s smile was friendly and easy as the doors slid shut. They rode in silence for a moment.

  Fortenot glanced to him as the doors of the lift slid open soundlessly.

  “Hey, what do you know, this is my floor too,” Scalpel said, pulling another friendly smile as he followed his prey
down the hall. Fortenot stopped at his door and Scalpel continued a step or two after him, before turning back toward him.

  “I think I’ve gone the wrong way,” he said. Fortenot already had the door open, giving Scalpel room to pounce. He shoved his victim inside and to the floor before he could even utter a surprised cry.

  “Now…” Scalpel said as he locked the door behind him, keeping his blaster focused on Fortenot. “Who did you tell about K-245j? I want their names.”

  SIXTEEN

  The bridge of the Hesperus was an elevated platform set above several nonessential stations below. Hal and Ty followed Patrin up a short ladder and emerged in a small hexagonal area that was mostly empty. They noticed two people in the space, a woman busy at the comms station, and a man standing at a center panel, viewing a display that cut out as he turned to greet them.

  “I’m Jacent Seren, captain of the Hesperus. Which of you is the captain of the Loshad?”

  “I am,” Tyce said. “My name’s Tyce Bernon. This is my right hand, Halvor Cullen.”

  The captain shook both of their hands. “Please come with me. Let us talk.”

  Seren led them towards a hatch that opened into a small conference room holding a table and chairs. He coughed a bit as he made his way to the head of the table and took a seat. He gestured toward the other chairs with his left hand as he tried to get his breath back. Ty was surprised to see the black lines and squares of a vat tattoo on his wrist. The Hesperus is captained by a vat? He caught the same look of surprise reflected on Hal’s face.

  As they took their seats in the well-lit room, Ty saw that the captain’s hair was heavily streaked with grey. So, he was old. At least thirty-four. Maybe this isn’t an attempt to divide and conquer us, Ty thought with relief.

  “I want to thank you for saving us,” Tyce began. “I don’t want to say we had given up, but we were at the limit of defending ourselves.”

  “I have a habit of helping the underdog,” Seren said with a sad smile. “It comes naturally.”

  “Taking on the ACAS is a bit more than that,” Ty said.

  “Ah… well.” Seren shrugged.

  Patrin came in, handing his captain a bottle of water.

  “I’m thirty-seven. What can the ACAS do to me? Kill me?” Seren laughed harshly and ended up on another coughing fit. A sip of water seemed to help. “I don’t have much time left at this point.”

  “I’m sorry for that,” Tyce said sincerely. “I have the feeling we would have been good friends in time.” He forced himself not to think about Hal ending up the same way. The ghost of the captain’s boisterous spirit was in his smile, but Tyce knew that the man he saw in front of him was just a shade of who he had probably been in his prime.

  “Yes, I’m sure we would have been great friends,” Seren agreed. “Did you and Halvor serve together?”

  “Yeah, but Hal’s more than crew. He’s also my family.”

  Seren nodded. “You are truly an example of what relations should be between vat and nat. This is what we fight for with Al-Kimia. Freedom from the ACAS, for vat and Edger alike.”

  Hal glanced at Ty quickly. It was obvious the captain’s words interested him.

  “What do you mean?” Ty asked.

  “There is a concentrated opposition to the Coalition. Some of us have banded together while others work individually for the same goals. Vats have no place in the Coalition once they are done with us, so we decided to make ourselves a place. We are all fighting for the same dream – a place to belong.”

  “It’s a nice dream,” Hal said thoughtfully.

  Ty sat back, stunned. There really is an active opposition against the Coalition? It’s not just propaganda. How many people are involved?

  “In my last days, I can afford to be idealistic.” Seren took a labored breath. “To the Coalition, we are merely an expendable resource. But I want vats to have a choice to fight for a cause. I want to ask you to join us. We welcome everyone who believes that all beings should be free from the chains that bind them.”

  Ty paused, digesting the invitation. “I appreciate the trust you’ve put in us by telling us this. And I agree with you wholeheartedly, but my crew has more immediate problems right now. I don’t know why the ACAS came for us. We should find that out first before we make any other decisions.”

  Seren pointedly shifted his gaze to Hal, waiting for his answer, and Ty suddenly realized what he’d done. He’d answered for Hal, as if Hal were still one of his recruits. His face flushed with embarrassment. He’d always wanted Hal to be his own person and make choices for himself, but he’d almost taken this decision right out of the hands of his best friend.

  What if Hal wants to join them?

  “It’s a lot to think about…” Hal began, looking Ty straight in the eye.

  Ty kicked himself again. How could he be so thoughtless? Of course, Hal would want to join them.

  “Hal, I’m sorry,” Ty said. “If… If this is something you want to do…” He trailed off as Hal looked down at his feet.

  There was a long pause before he spoke again. “I believe my place is with my captain.”

  “Hal,” Ty said immediately. “You need to make your own decision, independent of me. If you think it’s better for you to join–”

  “No. It’s not. My place is with you, Ty.” He turned to Seren. “If we come to this fight in time, no one will be happier than me. But Ty’s right. We have to find out if the ACAS is after us and why. You’re doing a good thing, helping vats have a place to belong and a job to do. I wish you luck in your fight.”

  “Hal… you don’t need to do this because I said–”

  “No, it’s not like that, Ty. I meant what I said. My place is with you, Beryl and Veevs.”

  Ty sat back, struck by the overt gift of Hal’s fierce loyalty. He swore to himself that he would never take it, or him, for granted again.

  Seren weighed Hal’s words for a moment, then nodded. “Fair enough, brother,” he replied. “If you change your mind, you will all be welcome. I’ll give you my comm information so that you’ll be able to get in touch with us, should you change your mind.”

  “Thank you, Seren,” Ty said. “I hope we can use it one day.”

  SEVENTEEN

  Scalpel watched the pink soap suds from his hands begin to flow down the drain. He’d been kicking Fortenot for several minutes when the little weasel had surprised Scalpel with a hidden blaspistol from under the bed. A glancing shot to the shoulder had caused Scalpel to dive off balance; midway through his fall, he’d blown the top of Fortenot’s head off.

  Scalpel was furious, looking at his newly cleaned face in the mirror. This was not how this was supposed to go. It nagged at him that things had gone wrong. He was a perfectionist – he thought he’d prepared for everything, even the holdout blaster on the tecker’s ankle. But he’d missed the other blaspistol.

  Walking back into the bedroom, Scalpel made his way over to the bloody corpse of the tecker, whose shattered skull was dripping grey matter on to the floor. He found the interface node behind Fortenot’s right ear, near where the blaster damage began. Pulling on a pair of gloves from his bag, he knelt and slipped a knife under the edge of the node and cut it out of the tecker’s head. He pulled out the single thread-like projection containing the sensors that used to sit on the surface of Fortenot’s brain. The node was slightly damaged from the blast, but the memory could still be intact. His prize could still be salvageable. He wiped the blood off the device cover and put it in a plastic bag before tucking it into his black duffel.

  He’d have to find someone to decrypt and enhance it, but he felt confident they would get some intel on who the stupid nat had been blabbing to.

  And then he would silence every last one of them.

  “Woah. This’ll be a challenge.” Nikko Nielsen opened up the sealed plastic bag and pulled out an interface node. “Yeah, man. I might be able to pull images for you if they weren’t damaged or deleted.”

 
Nikko pulled a pair of thin gloves from his workstation as he surveyed his client. The dark dressed man had arrived just before closing time at the cube where Nikko did business as a biotecker repairman on Omicron. The guy had offered him a wad of scrill to pull some images off the node in his hands and, being a businessman, he’d of course accepted the job. “This is a top of the line unit here. Simulcaster nodes cost a fair bit of scrilla.”

  His client smiled at him. “Thanks. I just want to make sure I get the info pulled off this model so my boss can give it to the client. The guy upgraded to the Simulcaster 487. Seen those 487s? They’re supposedly so close to real, it’s frightening. I mean it’s some Mudar level shit, man.”

  “That’s what I’m talkin’ about,” Nikko said, unscrewing the housing on the unit to pull the chip. As he did, he saw that the unit was cracked. When he got it apart, the plastic inside gleamed wetly. He rubbed the wet spot with a fingertip, and it came away red.

  Had this unit been pulled from someone unwillingly? Nikko wasn’t stupid; he continued to act as if he’d seen nothing. None of this was any of his business anyway. He willed his hands not to tremble as he plucked the tiny chip with tweezers. “Just wiping off the dust so it reads better,” he said, popping it in the chip reader.

  Both Nikko and his client leaned in to see the list of files that came up, but it was empty. “Damn. OK. Let me try this new program and see what I can pull out of the data.” He opened a special folder and pulled up a program he’d written called “Jigsaw.” He’d designed it to put as much data as he could get back together.

  “The chip’s damaged, so it’s not reading properly. There’s some audio and some vid feed. They don’t both go together, but I can play them for you.”

  “Please do.”

  Some garbled noise came through and then they both heard this exchange: “Astin, this is Vivi. She’s our tecker. Vivi, this is Astin. He works for TechSolutions.”

  “Good to meet you,” a woman’s voice said.