Preservation_Age of Expansion_A Kurtherian Gambit Series Read online

  Chester, to Eddie’s amazement, didn’t look at all nervous about the sudden change in the situation. He clapped his hands onto his hips and laughed loudly. “What’s got your men in such a tickle?” he asked Conway.

  “What was that noise?” Conway asked with a growl.

  Another laugh. “Haven’t you ever transported a nuke before?”

  Conway only gave him a repugnant look, which translated to ‘No, you asshole.’

  “Oh, well then you don’t know,” Chester said, sounding a bit too condescending. “My MDP inspector removed the fuel and separated the modular units that are located on the back end of the missile where that noise came from. During transport, some of the units tend to move around, which is why the fuel is removed. What you heard was the settling from one of those modular units, but if you’re concerned, open her up and check it out for yourself.”

  Conway gave him a long, measured glare, indecision written on his face. Finally he nodded and waved to his men. “Come on, let’s get it back. Billy, you’re in the truck with me.”

  Julianna let out a heavy breath.

  “He made all that shit up,” Eddie whispered incredulously.

  “He’s fucking brilliant,” Julianna noted.

  “If he wasn’t on our team already, I’d hire that guy,” Eddie stated. “We need to take him on more missions.”

  The loud engine of the eighteen-wheeler started up, slightly jostling the teams in the silo.

  “Alright, go time,” Julianna stated.

  ~~~

  Eddie watched on the screen as the semi halted at a fence covered in barbed wire. A guy about Knox’s age holding an automatic rifle opened a gate, granting them access to the compound. It reminded Eddie that Knox had once worked for a similar organization, the Defiance Trading Company. The difference was that they dealt weapons, they didn’t use them to blow up innocent people on space stations.

  “Fletcher, your team set?” Julianna asked. Eddie thought she appeared a little nervous.

  This compound was relatively small, with numbers to match theirs, but the inhabitants all had weapons to best Ghost Squadron’s.

  “Yes, they have their orders,” Fletcher confirmed, the roar of the engine allowing him to talk above a whisper. “And Nona and I will go after Conway while you two secure the main area.”

  “Very good,” Julianna said, pressing in tight to the front of the silo where she’d release the top and ready their exit.

  The semi pulled into a large warehouse lined with huge crates, which probably held weapons and explosives.

  When the engine turned off, Conway strode past the camera, moving at a quick pace. “Authenticate the missile so I can finish the transfer. Something tells me I don’t want to keep this Monte guy waiting on his money.”

  Eddie lifted an eyebrow, impressed that the scrawny hacker had inspired fear in an evil terrorist.

  “Yes, sir,” said a man wearing a jean jacket and a pair of glasses. He didn’t look at all like the other hoodlums; he was probably the scientist they’d “acquired” for such projects.

  One of the men who had ridden in the pickup looked directly into a hidden camera, not realizing what he was doing. “Whoa, I still can’t believe we got a real nuke. What are we gonna do with it, boss?”

  “Destroy some shit,” Conway called from off camera. “Now get over here, Dwight. We’ve gotta plan tomorrow’s drop.”

  The bombing on Onyx Station. Those plans are about to get hosed. Tension mounted in Eddie’s eyes as the group waited soundlessly. Julianna kept her gaze trained on the pad, watching the feeds from the various cameras, but she looked up several times, the whites of her eyes standing out in the darkened silo.

  When the only person left in the warehouse was the scientist, Julianna put the pad away and mouthed, “You ready?”

  Eddie nodded, enjoying the familiar rush that pulsed in his veins right before a fight.

  ~~~

  With a swift motion, Julianna popped the hidden door from the missile.

  Dim light streamed in, making her eyes tighten for a moment. The warehouse was empty, but she picked up on a bristling noise—the sound that denim made when it rubbed against itself.

  Someone began to whistle.

  Julianna jumped down from the silo, waving for the others to follow.

  The whistling halted.

  Catching Eddie’s gaze, Jules held up two fingers and pointed to the side of the truck where the noise had been coming from. He nodded, taking off in the opposite direction around the semi.

  Julianna soundlessly snuck around the truck, catching sight of the scientist in the jean jacket. His back was to her, but he’d tensed, as if listening. The sounds of their footsteps hadn’t gone unnoticed.

  He lifted something to his face, but she couldn’t make out what it was. A button clicked.

  “Conway, this is—”

  The commander slipped across the ten feet dividing them and pressed her pistol to the side of the man’s head. He halted, lifting his finger from the button.

  “What do you want, Casey?” Conway’s voice came over the radio.

  “Tell him that the nuke checks out,” Julianna ordered.

  She heard him gulp, something seemingly stuck in his throat. Shaking, the scientist clicked the button again. “The weapon checks out.”

  Static filled the radio for a moment. “Good,” Conway said.

  A new cache of weapons and a huge payday, Julianna thought proudly. I’m gonna buy myself a new pair of boots.

  Julianna lifted the pistol and brought it down hard on the back of Casey’s head, his knees buckling as he fell to the concrete ground. Eddie sped around the opposite end of the semi, his face red, with two of Fletcher’s men at his back.

  “All clear in here,” he informed her.

  “Then let’s go find the rest of these assholes,” Julianna said before looking at the soldiers. “Restrain this guy and put him in the missile.”

  The best feature about the missile casing was that it could double as a makeshift prison for the Nihilists until they returned to Ricky Bobby.

  ~~~

  Fletcher’s team scattered in different directions, staying low and holding weapons at the ready. He scanned the warehouse, trying to decide the most likely place for the boss’s office to be. Nona inclined her head to a set of double doors in the direction Fletcher had seen Conway head when last onscreen.

  The key was to get to him before anyone else did. Once he was in the brig on Ricky Bobby, he would be less likely to talk. He’d found that people were more amenable when they thought freedom was still an option.

  Fletcher took the lead and was about to file through the double doors when Nona stopped him.

  “What?” he mouthed to her, his tone sharp.

  She shouldered her rifle and pulled a lid off a nearby crate. Like she already knew what she’d find, she pulled out a pulse rifle and handed it to Fletcher. “Thought we should upgrade now, rather than wait.”

  Fucking brilliant, Fletcher thought, taking the rifle.

  The balance of the gun was superb and it felt natural in his hands. It was like Santa Claus had packed the crate just for them. Nona pulled a scout rifle of the highest quality from the crate, and her eyes widened with satisfaction. Not wasting a moment, Fletcher grabbed a power pack from an open bin and loaded his weapon.

  Now I’m ready to kick some ass.

  ~~~

  “I’ve been unable to hack into the Nihilists’ security system,” Chester reported over the comm.

  “That’s okay. Things are going along smoothly here,” Eddie stated, following beside Julianna as they approached a back exit.

  “That’s the thing.” The hacker sounded almost hesitant. “My attempt to break in triggered a shutdown, which—”

  A loud blaring noise rang through the air, accompanied by a red, strobing light overhead. “Let me guess, it set off the alarms,” Eddie finished for him, having to yell.

  “Bingo,” Chester conf
irmed. “I’ll keep working on it from my end.”

  Julianna kicked open the door in front of them. It led up a staircase, where bullets sprayed down at them. Both she and Eddie shot behind the wall, guns up. Julianna spun around the corner, her position low.

  Eddie caught movement on the other side of the warehouse. There was a flash of blue. He aimed and fired, knocking down a Nihilist dressed in civilian clothing.

  Another round of shots whizzed by them, this one coming from behind a crate. Eddie knew better than to fire at a box full of guns. He waited until the shooter popped up again, and then fired, striking the guy down swiftly.

  “We’re all clear,” Julianna said, indicating the stairs. “Let’s head up.”

  Eddie nodded, sliding his back against the wall as he climbed the stairs.

  ~~~

  Fletcher and Nona had taken out four Nihilist goons. The team was taking hits after the sounding of the alarm, but still moving swiftly.

  Fletcher needed to find Conway. He scanned the long hallway where they stood. It was lined with doors. He could search every room, but he didn’t have time for that.

  Two men Fletcher recognized from the exchange with Chester strode out of a room, at the sight of him, but they weren’t fast enough.

  Nona and Fletcher both shot once, taking out a man each. Their targets slumped to the ground, and Fletcher sprinted for the door as it peeled back. He slammed his body against it, knocking Conway back on the other side. The man reached for his weapon, but Fletcher knocked his elbow across the guy’s face. Conway’s nose broke at once, and blood spilled down his chin.

  Fletcher pinned him to a wall, smashing the arm that held the gun. Conway fired anyway, and the shot ricocheted off the ground, spraying bits of concrete into Fletcher’s face.

  “Drop it!” Nona ordered.

  From Fletcher’s periphery, he saw her standing in front of Conway, pointing her weapon at him. Conway’s gun clattered to the ground, and Fletcher kicked it away. He patted down the larger man, relieving him of two more guns.

  “What do you want?” Conway said, coughing.

  “I want to know where Rosco is,” Fletcher demanded, pulling zip ties from his belt and tying the man’s hands.

  Conway laughed, blood bubbling from his mouth. “Whoever the fuck you are, you’re dreaming.”

  Fletcher grabbed Conway, pinching the muscles between his neck and shoulder, and wheeled him around in front of his body, holding his gun to the man’s head. “I’m your worst nightmare.” Conway struggled in Fletcher’s grasp, and he forced him to the ground on his knees. “Where’s Rosco?”

  “I don’t know who that is,” Conway lied.

  “Does this help refresh your memory?” Nona asked. She sent a bullet whizzing by, grazing Conway’s side.

  He tried to dive out of the way, but Fletcher pulled back his boot and launched it into the man’s ribcage. He didn’t like torture, but this man had been about to bomb a space station.

  “Where’s Rosco?” he repeated.

  Conway pushed up to his knees, blood pooling from his mouth. “I haven’t seen him in a while.”

  Now we’re getting somewhere. Fletcher reached down and grabbed Conway by his bound hands. He yanked him to his feet and spun him around so he was looking into his soulless eyes. “Tell me where to find him or you’ll wish you had.”

  “Someone’s coming,” Nona warned, her gaze on the hallway.

  Fletcher gripped Conway’s shirt and, with a strength he’d only witnessed in himself a few times, picked up the larger man. “Where is he?”

  “Sagano,” Conway sputtered. “The last I heard, he was on an island there somewhere.”

  Fletcher pushed Conway up against the wall a couple of feet away, banging his head hard. “Give me specifics.”

  “I don’t know much,” Conway admitted, his tone pleading. “But it’s in the Cantjik Sea.”

  Fletcher narrowed his eyes, about to throw another assault at the man.

  “Yeah, we got him,” Nona said to someone at his back. “He put up a fight, but he seems to be cooperating now.”

  Fletcher turned, wheeling Conway around and ushering him forward, as Eddie and Julianna marched into the room.

  “You got the fucking ringleader,” Eddie said, narrowing his eyes at Conway.

  “Yeah, turns out he’s a fucking clown,” Fletcher said.

  Eddie laughed, grabbing Conway by the arm, and led him out the door. “Well, we’ve shut down your circus, asshole.”

  Nona gave Fletcher a hopeful look when the captain and the commander had disappeared into the hallway.

  After over a decade of searching, he finally knew where to find Rosco. That pirate would soon pay for his crimes. Retribution had been a long time coming.

  CHAPTER TEN

  Loading Dock, Ricky Bobby, Tangki System

  “Pip!” Hatch yelled when the crew unloaded the Corvette from the transport ship. Green paint from the missile covered the bumper, where a deep scratch ran the length of it. “You’ve got to be kidding me!”

  Julianna pressed her lips together, suppressing a grin. She’d made certain that she was front row for this.

  Hatch pressed two of his tentacles to his head, his face red and eyes bulging. He spun to face Eddie, who was picking over a crate of weapons. “What do you have to say about this?” he asked, pointing at the damaged bumper.

  Eddie held up his hands. “Hey, I’m innocent.”

  “You were driving the car!” Hatch argued.

  “Although that’s technically true, I couldn’t control a thing,” Eddie stated. “It was a pretty sweet move, though. Pip did this—”

  “Pip!” Hatch yelled, looking around like he was expecting to see the AI.

  “He disappeared after the incident,” Julianna explained. “I haven’t heard from him since.”

  “That damn AI!” Hatch bellowed. “He needs to take responsibility.”

  “In all honesty, I think this is what you get for making a deal with an AI to hit me,” Eddie stated, though he looked to immediately regret being so candid.

  Hatch puffed out his cheeks more than Julianna had ever seen, making his face resemble a balloon.

  “Right, well…” Eddie looked up suddenly in Fletcher’s direction as he passed by. “What’s that, Lieutenant? You need my help with something?”

  Fletcher glanced at the captain with momentary confusion before catching on. “Uhhh…yes, it’s super important, too. It’s about that one thing on the other side of the ship.”

  “Well, we better set off and take care of it at once.” Eddie glanced back at Hatch as they strode off. “Pardon me. Duty calls.”

  “Damn cowards!” Hatch yelled. “Wreck my shit, and then no one takes responsibility?! What if I destroyed all your weapons and didn’t own up to it?”

  Julianna shook her head. Pip, you’re going to have to surface at some point.

  Silence.

  “Wish I wouldn’t have missed that righteous moment when the car screeched against the missile,” Chester said, halting at Julianna’s side.

  “The screeching seemed to happen in slow motion,” Julianna said, still trying not to laugh at the memory. “Eddie’s—or rather, Pip’s—face was priceless.”

  “The poor AI gets his first bit of freedom and screws up,” Chester said, shaking his head. “Bet he’s mortified.”

  “I don’t know what he is, since he’s disappeared,” Julianna admitted. “Oh, by the way, you did a great job on Kezza. Quick thinking when Conway grew suspicious.”

  “Thanks,” Chester said with a wide grin. “I like field work. It’s a new challenge.”

  Julianna paused, remembering what Eddie said in the silo. “Well, maybe we need to figure out how to incorporate you on future missions.”

  “I might like that,” Chester said, his attention suddenly absorbed by something on the other side of the room.

  Julianna caught sight of Marilla’s head, bobbing among the crowd. She seemed to be searc
hing for someone. “Go on. She’s looking for you. I bet she’s been worried.”

  “Thanks, commander.” Chester sped off in the direction of the communications officer.

  Pip, I know you’re there.

  Silence.

  Julianna shook her head, and in her movement, saw a face that, like Marilla’s, seemed to be searching through those returning to find a particular someone.

  She clapped her hand to her thigh, whistling. “Hey, Harley!”

  The canine looked in her direction, his eyes shifting with excitement before he bounded for her.

  It felt good to know that someone was glad to see she’d returned safely. It was a feeling the soldier had never known before.

  Hatch’s Lab, Ricky Bobby, Tangki System

  Knox ran his hand over the damaged part of the back end of the Corvette. “It’s really not too bad. I can take care of the repairs for you if you want.”

  “The extent of the damage isn’t really the point,” Hatch said, typing on a keyboard at a nearby workstation.

  “The point is that you entrusted Pip with the car, and he took advantage of it by driving recklessly,” Liesel stated as she trotted over carrying a large box.

  “Please tell me you haven’t baked for us again,” Hatch mumbled unappreciatively.

  She shook her head. “I think I learned my lesson.” She set the empty box on the ground and her ferret poked his head up over the side and scrambled out. “Sebastian and I stopped by to borrow supplies to install the railguns on Ricky Bobby. Is that all right?”

  Hatch waved his tentacle dismissively. “Take what you like, but you’re not returning it, so don’t call it ‘borrowing’.”

  “Having upgraded weapons on the main ship will be good,” Knox said.

  Hatch pointed to the cold lunch that Knox still hadn’t eaten, which was sitting on the workbench. “You’d better eat up, kid. We’re about to have our work cut out for us, as well. We’ve got new weapons for the Q-Ships.”

  The ferret returned and angled himself at the back of the box, pressing his head against it. He pushed it steadily to the other side of the lab where the supply bins were located.

  “I’ll be there in a minute, Bastian,” Liesel called to the ferret. “I’ll help you with the metal slats for the vent shaft.”