Hostile Territory Read online

  Hostile Territory

  by

  T.L. Knighton

  Chapter 1

  The bar was nothing special, just a typically rough dockside bar with the bare essentials. A little food, a lot of alcohol, and some places to sit around. It was the kind of place that knew exactly what it was and made no effort to be pretentious about it. The fist currently pummeling Cody Chang, boat's engineer on Sabercat, didn't seem to be making too many pretentions about what it was either.

  Cody was anything but a small man, however, and he was a mechanic at heart. That became clear when his hand reached out and grabbed the body associated with the offending hand by the throat. Years of training and work experience combined twisting off stubborn bolts, lifting heavy parts, and a number of other things worked together to make the man even stronger than his muscular frame would indicate, which is why the person with his hand around their throat soon let go of whatever hostility they had toward the engineer and began grabbing at the hand, desperate for air.

  "Now, you want to rethink what you said?" Cody asked calmly.

  "I do not think he is able to speak at the moment," an amused West African accent said, the hint of a chuckle in her voice, as Adele Ikande stepped through the crowd that had surrounded the fight. The tall, rail-thin pilot looked at Cody with a bemused expression. "Perhaps you should let him go so he can confess the errors of ways?"

  Cody studied the woman, then back to the object of his ire, a large dock worker who stood a half meter taller than Adele and outmuscled him. Slowly, he released the pressure on the other man's throat.

  "You want to take it back?" Cody asked. His voice was so quiet it was barely heard, which made his simple question more menacing.

  The dockworker nodded, his eyes wide. "Yeah, I didn't mean nothing by it. Swear!"

  With that, Cody released him completely.

  The workers scurried away and everyone went back to their drinks.

  "Come," Adele said, putting her arm around the mechanic, "let us get you back to Sabercat before the authorities show up."

  Cody nodded and began walking back toward the Harrison class transport that was home now. In the months he'd been on the boat, he'd been shot at multiple times, committed at least one felony—though those were so common these days he might have committed a half dozen more and never known—as well as help destroy two ships. Yet it was starting to grow on him.

  Not the ship itself—he'd loved that since the first moment he laid eyes on it—but the crew was almost like a second family. Of course, it was entirely possible that this family would get him locked up too, but at least their past felony had been for a good cause.

  The two crewmates wound their way through the endless labyrinth that was life on Hallstead Station before reaching their docking slip. By now, dock security knew them so there was no needed to flash any ID to board, so they simply stepped up on the loading ramp and boarded the boat.

  Adele announced that she was heading to her bunk while Cody made his way to the galley. He'd had enough to drink that he figured some water before calling it a night, lest his head kick his rear tomorrow.

  As he made his way into the galley, he saw Michelle sitting at one of the tables, a bowl of pudding in front of her.

  "Hey," he said to the diminutive computer expert as he grabbed a cup from the cabinet and secured the door afterward.

  "Did you get into a fight?" she asked, her French accent fairly thick.

  Cody nodded.

  "Did you win?" she asked, the first smile he'd seen on her in months. She didn't show a lot of emotion, and Cody didn't really think she felt many. After what she'd been through, though, he didn't really blame her.

  In answer, Cody simply smiled back and nodded.

  "Good," she said with a single, hard nod.

  He filled his glass with water and sat down at the table.

  About halfway through his glass, Tommy Reilly came into the room. He was as dressed up as he got these days, though the captain and reformed rich boy didn't really have the wardrobe to dress like he did in his tabloid days.

  "Got a call from station security," he started.

  Cody almost suppressed the groan.

  "Yeah," Tommy replied.

  "Cap," he began, "I can explain."

  Tommy smirked and said, "I'd love to hear it."

  It was at that moment that Cody remembered Tommy had been out with Dianne. The two former schoolmates had started a romance on the first leg of the trip, but didn't have a lot of time to foster it, so they'd been taking advantage of the station time. With their departure tomorrow, tonight was their last chance. Crap, Cody thought.

  "Look, skipper, there I was, sitting at the bar, minding my own business-"

  "Don't start with that stuff," Tommy interrupted.

  "Well, I was. Anyway, this guy came over and says, 'Hey, you're part of Sabercat's crew, right?' I say I am, and then he says, 'You're a braver man than I am. You couldn't pay me to even board that boat in dock, much less sail it.'"

  Finished, Cody sat there, feeling pretty good about what had happened next. From the look on his captain's face, he didn't get it.

  "He insulted Sabercat," he added helpfully. "He even asked how many of us had gotten tetanus from her."

  Tommy seemed to be getting it, based on his expression. "So, you punched him."

  Cody nodded slowly and added, speaking as he nodded, "For insulting Sabercat."

  "So…you punched him for insulting a boat a few weeks ago you'd have jumped off of if you could have?"

  Well, when he put it that way, it did sound a little crazy.

  "No offense, captain, but that was about the time you said we were sailing towards certain death."

  "We're still sailing toward certain death."

  Cody hated it when the other man had a point, much less two in a row, but still…

  "Look, I'm still not sure how I feel about all of you, and I know you hold the title on Sabercat, but she's my baby," he replied, emphasizing his possession. The captain was smart enough to know he wasn't literally implying ownership, but he damn sure felt it

  "Skipper," Cody continued, "do you believe in love at first sight?"

  Tommy considered for a moment, then replied, "Yeah, I guess so."

  "Well, that's what happened with Sabercat. I saw her, fell in love. Why do you think I jumped at the job offer?"

  "Desperation."

  "Okay," Cody eventually conceded. He was really getting sick of the captain making all these points, damn it. "There was that too, but it was also because I love this boat. I'll leave her if I have to, but I don't actually want to…and no one better badmouth my baby."

  "Alright," the captain conceded finally. "That doesn’t explain why you were ready to bail out in the not too distant past, but I don’t really care all that much right now. But you need to stay on board. EDC can and will haul you off this boat, but the station security won't request it. They know if we can't sail because a key member of the crew is locked up, they don't get dock fees, so they'll let it slide, but only if you stay onboard. You step off…"

  Cody agreed and finished his water. "If it's okay, I'm headed to bed. Big day tomorrow and all that."

  ** ** **

  The next morning was a buzz of activity as Tommy performed the final checks before leaving the station. Harley Dane, the first officer and loadmaster, examined the haul as Tommy stepped into the cargo bay.

  "We all set?"

  Harley nodded. "Yeah, we're good…I think. Number three lock needs to get checked when we offload, but it should hold until we get to Armstead."

  "Good. I'll let Adele know we're ready for dust-off."

  "Sounds like a plan."

  Tommy left the cargo hold and worked hi
s way through the boat until he reached the bridge. "Alright. Let's get off this station before they decide they really do want to lock Cody up," he quipped.

  Adele simply nodded, though he didn't know if she was merely in her "pilot mode" where humor didn't seem to register or she actually thought they'd decide to arrest the engineer.

  The pilot radioed station control to request dust-off, which was swiftly granted. She then throttled up and the boat lifted off the metal deck.

  He could only tell by looking out the window, the inertial dampeners working to minimize any shift inside the vessel.

  Outside, the ground crew scattered and the dock was locked down. A few pieces of litter suddenly flew by the cockpit view screen as the airlock was opened.

  Without any obvious concern, Adele pushed the boat out the airlock backward, only turning once clear of the station.

  Hallstead station wasn't small by any stretch of the imagination. At two kilometers in diameter and six kilometers from top to bottom, it was a massive feat of engineering, and it was one of a dozen or so stations in its class.

  It was also the more preferable place to stay in this system, compared to the lone inhabited world of Jodunheim, an icy world where everything is either under a temperature controlled biodome, or frostbitten.

  "I have already signaled the gate, Captain," Adele announced. "We are fifth in the queue."

  "Very good," Tommy replied. "You know what to do, so I'll take care of a few other things and leave you to it."

  The pilot nodded once, never looking back, and Tommy vacated the bridge. It was nice having a seat and all, but he had other things to attend to.

  First and foremost was making sure his manifests were in order. Armstead may have been a pleasant world all on its own, but the Church of Eternal Vigilance had made it far less inviting. Officially classified as a "church" by the Terran Parliament, it was that in name only. Many others argued that it was more of a cult than anything, arguments which led the church to launch one of the earliest expeditions to colonize an extrasolar planet.

  When the gateship arrived, bringing the technology for the massive gates that permitted interstellar travel, Armstead was the only planet that had to be convinced to allow the gate to be set up. Even so, they weren't particularly fond of it.

  Travel to and from the planet was heavily restricted, and any intruders found would be blown out of the black.

  The job was simple. Use a load of gold—precious metals still having value throughout anywhere humanity went, and Armstead having a dearth of such things—for drop off and picking up a data chip.

  A simple job, only made profitable due to his sole passenger.

  Dianne Caldwell and he had gone to school together, once upon a time. Of course, once upon a time, he'd been a total ass striving to fit every stereotype of spoiled rich boy he could find. In fact, he'd actually created a couple of new ones in his day.

  She, on the other hand, was the antithesis of everything he was back then. Warm, kind, compassionate, she was the kind of girl who saw suffering in the world and desperately wanted to end it.

  For two children from the Clans—the families that essentially ruled humanity—they couldn't have been more different.

  As a result, Tommy felt an obligation to be as much of a jerk to her as he could manage…and that was the one thing he excelled at in his youth.

  When they'd reconnected recently, Tommy was a far different person, and Dianne seemed appreciative of the change.

  Tommy was appreciative of that appreciation.

  As he stepped into the galley, Harley was there fixing himself a cup of coffee. It wasn't the real stuff, since they couldn't really afford that quality, but it was dark, hot, and caffeinated so Harley was happy.

  "We're underway," Tommy announced, stepping by the big former Marine to grab a cup for himself.

  "How long until we pass through the gate?"

  Tommy shrugged and said, "We're fifth in the queue, so it shouldn't be too long."

  "Good. The sooner we get this load out of here and leave Armstead in our trail, the better."

  The captain chuckled. "You're worried about Armstead?" he asked as he poured the dark liquid nectar into his cup.

  "You better believe it. They've got a fleet that makes the EDC nervous, itchy trigger fingers, and no need to actually let us land to take possession of this cargo. Plus, if word gets around what we're carrying, we're bound to find enough trouble with people who want to chafe us out of it."

  "You're talking about Mother Dearest's…associates?"

  "Oh, yeah, I'm glad you reminded me. Your mother also wants most of us dead and you ransomed back to her."

  Tommy shrugged. "It's Thursday. What else did you expect?"

  Harley groaned. "That joke is wearing thin."

  Begrudgingly nodding his agreement, Tommy said, "If only I had less opportunity to use it."

  ** ** **

  The thin man looked at the back of his employer's head and cringed inwardly. He knew this wasn't going to be pleasant. Still, it wasn't his fault. It wasn't like he had suggested to allow her associate's man on Ararat deal with the problem, but still. Matriarchs of Clans didn't particularly like failure, and he was far too convenient a target to feel particularly secure.

  "Madam?" he began, hoping formality might shield him from any onslaught

  The woman turned and looked at him. "What is it?"

  "Sabercat is currently in the queue at the Jodunheim gate, with Miss Caldwell still a passenger."

  The woman sighed, but even that held malevolence. "Sowards’s man must have failed. Who do we have on Armstead?"

  "No one for this kind of task, madam, but I have a few messages out to try and remedy that situation," he replied. While there was no way his employer would welcome the news, he hoped that showing initiative might offer some level of protection.

  "Good. Keep me informed. I want whatever he has planned stopped," she said. "Any word on who keeps giving him jobs?"

  "I have continued to look, and it appears to be small concerns that are too miniscule to have gotten the message through usual channels, at least not at this point."

  The older woman considered for a moment. "Do any of these have contracts with any companies we control?" she said. Despite her use of the term, he knew the "we" was more royal in nature, rather than inclusive.

  "None that I've uncovered so far, madam," he replied. He almost wish he had, though. At least then, he wouldn't be concerned about the volcano now past due to erupt erupting all over him.

  "Keep looking, Wilson. If there is any way to hurt them, do it. Hurt them, and hurt him. I'm tired of his insolence."

  "Of course, madam," he said as he bowed.

  While he left the room, all he could do was be thankful he wasn't the focus of her hatred at this moment. That, he was afraid, was currently reserved for one Thomas Reilly.

  Chapter 2

  The transition through the gate was simple. Adele could fly it in her sleep once she was lined up correctly, and the rest of the crew barely even noticed as their bodies left one solar system for another in an instant, nor did they notice how for the briefest of instances, they occupied space in two different systems.

  Tommy's checks on the manifest—the fifth so far—were completed and he couldn't fathom how they might not be in order, but having a gigantic fleet that might not be big enough to tangle with the EDC but more than enough to tangle with Sabercat tended to make one a bit paranoid. Especially since history said they'd shoot first, shoot last, and maybe ask some questions at some point in time if they felt like it.

  He'd just returned to his post on the bridge when Adele said, "Captain, we are being hailed with a request for our manifests."

  Taking a deep breath, Tommy transmitted the data and uttered a quick prayer that no one on the Armstead ships were feeling prickly. A quick upload and a send command later, all he could do is wait for either an all-clear, or the shooting to start.

  I already hate this
planet, and we haven’t even touched dirt, Tommy thought to himself as the long, tense minutes stretched on into a seeming eternity.

  Just when he thought his patience would end, he received the clearance to enter Armstead orbit.

  He let out a heavy sigh of relief and hit the shipboard intercom button. “Alright, folks, we’re through the first hurdle and should be landing shortly. Dianne will make contact with her folks dirtside while the rest of us do our jobs. As soon as she’s done, we’ll board back up and take off. We’ve got an open departure date slated, ostensibly to line up another cargo, but we’re not going to use any more of it than we have to. This is not a great place for off-worlders.”

  While he couldn’t see anyone but Adele from the bridge, he knew they were all in agreement. This was a risky job, but the stakes were worth it. Tommy wasn’t sure, but being shot at a few times already may have made the risk seem far less than it might already be.

  Their time in orbit lasted about six hours—ships and colonies still used the standard units of time measurements to maintain some consistency for business reasons—and then they got the orders to land. In fact, they were specifically ordered to land rather than the typical clearance they normally received. While Tommy and the EDC didn’t always see eye to eye, he was starting to see how much worse they could be.

  The planet itself was beautiful. All four landmasses were lush and green, with deep blue oceans and several large freshwater lakes. It was paradise, and would have been a mecca for every colonist leaving Earth were it not for the people who got to call it home first.

  Armstead was controlled by the Church of Eternal Vigilance, a “faith” created by a man who reportedly was looking for a tax dodge but had gained millions of followers on Earth. Founded by Jason Beard, the church targeted celebrities especially, using them to proselytize to the masses, masses that tended to follow celebrity culture as a matter of course.

  In and of itself, the teachings of the church looked fairly benign. They disagreed with the medical establishment on Earth regarding the treatment of some conditions, but many could dismiss this due to how the medical establishment tended to disagree with itself on a regular basis.