Of Sea and Stars (Partners Book 3) Read online

  Dev’s voice cut into their comms over the sideband that had come up when they’d come into range. “Tac two, stand by for overshot. We will reverse course.”

  Doug was relieved to hear the warning. “Tac one copy, taking hard cut south,” he answered, getting ready to change course. “Hear that, boss?”

  “Got it,” April said. “Glad she warned us.”

  “No joke.”

  With a shuddering boom, Dev’s carrier came over the escarpment hiding the enemy and cut both speed and power, the energy beams flying past them into air as she tumbled and rotated a hundred eighty degrees.

  Doug took his craft to a sharp right, blowing by the gun emplacement as April let loose. He saw Dev flash past them, releasing plasma bombs into the protected space the enemy was hiding in.

  “Ware,” Dev’s voice cut in unexpectedly. “Energy release.”

  “Oh crap.” Doug hit the landing jets and boosted them up as he heard the crackling boom of an explosion so loud it vibrated through the skin of the carrier. “They had a power sink.”

  He hit the engines and sent them rocketing skyward, turning to the right and skimming over a rock wall then ducking down behind it as the explosion turned the air to fire.

  Rocks tumbled down the walls, and the top edge of the crest disintegrated, rubble flying and impacting the outside skin of the carrier with pocks and pings as Doug flew them through it.

  “Get back there,” April said. “Though I’m guessing not much is left.”

  “Nope.” Doug shifted the scan output to her boards as he slowed down and moved into a turn, now between two narrow canyon walls as he headed back to the battle area. “Hey, look!” He saw a small flyer speeding away.

  “Follow ’em.” April brought her guns back up as the carrier bent around in another turn, and sped up. “Tac one, Tac two, in chase.”

  “Tac two, ack.”

  DEV STARTED DAMAGE routines, getting alerts from some of the systems stressed by her flight maneuvers and the explosion they’d flown through. They were high over the road now, coming back in a curved descent.

  “That was nice.” Jess rubbed one shoulder. “I need to get padded straps though.”

  Dev chanced a glance behind her. “Did you take some damage?”

  “Better than us getting hit by that fireball,” Jess said. “That was a big one.”

  “There was a lot of energy.” Dev returned her attention to the controls and did an overfly of the explosion site, the rocks scarred deep black with a significant ejecta that reached past the road. “The scanner shows no biologic signs.”

  “With that boom? I bet it doesn’t.” Jess studied the output the screens. “Go ahead and land on the road.” She replayed the explosion with some sense of satisfaction, the two plas bombs she’d placed landed with pinpoint accuracy.

  Nice.

  “We’ll need to do a scrape once the temp drops,” she said. “Need to find out who those suckers were.” She adjusted the straps again. “Unless that’s what the kids are chasing.”

  Dev brought the carrier around and dropped to ground level, slowing the mains as she approached the road that the wagons were still huddled over. There were figures in motion, but they were behind the bulk of trucks as the rain started to come down harder.

  She got the landing jets going, cutting the main engines as she slowly lowered the carrier to the ground, raising the hard shield up from the curved front nose, the sound of the jets covered by the rumbling thunder overhead.

  The carrier settled onto it’s skids, and she shut the external systems down, making sure the recordings were spooled to memory and switching from battle scans to the systems that would watch their surroundings. “Secure.”

  “Mmm.” Jess relaxed, her eyes going to the front shield. “They staying in their box?”

  “Yes.” Dev switched the forward scan back to Jess’s station.

  “This storm is quite extensive.” She twitched a little when a lightning blast came out of the sky and slammed into the ground to the west of them.

  Jess folded her hands over her stomach and leaned back in her seat. “We’ll wait then. Let’s see what happens.”

  DOUG LEANED FORWARD a little as the carrier wove through the canyon, the scanners locked on the flyer struggling to stay ahead of them. “Can’t be many of them in there.” He repeated a sweep. “Two I think.”

  “Two is two more than none.” April carefully tuned her forward weapons. “Get directly behind them, and level.”

  He complied, dropping in behind the flyer and increasing power to the engines as they closed in. “No markings. Unregistered,” he said. “Local though.”

  “Local,” April agreed. She lined up her guns and took careful aim, dialing down the power as she got off a shot and hit the flyer in the engines. It lurched and tumbled, and she let off another shot, scorching the top of the craft as it slowed.

  “Nice.” Doug slowed with it and followed them down as they headed for the ground, lights starting to flash on the tips of the flyer’s wings. “Scared.”

  “Should be.”

  He kicked in the jets and hovered as the flyer landed. He turned on the lights on the bottom of the carrier to bathe the craft in a flat, silver glare.

  The hatch on the side popped open and two figures tumbled out, holding their hands up.

  April chuckled audibly. “Okay, I’m going out there. Keep it hovering a little just in case they’re squirmier than they look.” She got up and went to the weapons rack, seating her long rifle and putting handguns in both side holsters.

  Doug lowered the carrier to the ground and watched in the reflector, triggering the hatch when April gave him the hand signal to. April hopped out, ignoring the lashing rain as she crossed the rocky ground. Both of the figures were taller than she was, but Doug saw the apprehension in their eyes as his partner approached, full of that dark energy that was typical of the field agents. They liked scaring people, he decided. He opened the scanner and started up the recorders.

  April stalked them, glowering at the two of them as they took hesitant steps back. Doug tuned the scanner higher, so he could hear what was going on.

  “D...don’t shoot us!” The closer one stuttered. “We give up.”

  April paused and regarded them, seeing the lanky, angular frames and wide eyes. “Who are you?” she asked shortly. “Why were you shooting?”

  The closer one cautiously lowered his arms, then lifted one hand to shield his eyes from the rain. “Cooper’s Rock Holding. We were just guarding the road. They shot first.”

  “Bet they didn’t,” April said. “There’s nothing here for a caravanserai to shoot at.”

  His nostrils flared. “They saw us getting in the gun cache. Shot at us,” he said. “We were just getting back at them.”

  April studied him. “What’s your name?”

  “Jack.”

  She glanced up as the thunder rolled over head, and a lightning blast turned the sky to silver. “Both of you, come with me,” she ordered. “My senior’ll want to talk to you.”

  “Who’s that?”

  “Jess Drake.” April smiled at the look of sudden apprehension on their faces. “She’s the one who blew that emplacement to hell, so if I were you I wouldn’t bother to lie to her.” She drew a handgun out and motioned to the carrier. “Move it.”

  Jack looked behind him. “We can’t leave the flyer here,” he said. “Scavengers’ll strip it. We’ll follow you back.”

  April looked skeptically at him. “You willing to risk being blown out of the sky if I think you’re lying?”

  The other boy edged up. “We’ll come witcha, Agent. No screwing around. I want to go home to dinner.”

  She let them wait for it, the rain pelting down on all of them. “Where’d you get those big blasters?” she asked, finally, watching their eyes closely, especially the corners of them. The faces slacked and relaxed a little as they exchanged glances.

  “Don’t know,” Jack said. “Been the
re a long time. My daddy used to come out here and shoot rocks for fun with ’em.”

  April fired her blaster at him, clipping his ear as he let out a shocked yell. “Don’t lie. I don’t have time for it. I’ll just blow your head off if you do it again.”

  The other boy waved his hands at her. “Homestead and Progets Cliff bought ’em. Had to beat off those damn pirates somehow. Stealing everything they get their hands on. Been in like three months.”

  April nodded. “That’s better. They weren’t here last time I came through here and that was a year back or so. What pirates?”

  “Traders.” Jack had his hand over his ear, and he was glaring at her sullenly. “Didn’t have to do that.”

  “Traders. Like nomad tribes?” April asked in a mild tone. “Like the ones you shot at today?” She watched the other boy nod hesitantly. “Okay. Follow me and we’ll go ask them about that.” She holstered her gun. “Tear off in another direction, we’ll take you down.”

  “Okay,” the younger boy said. “C’mon Jack.”

  “Fuck that,” Jack muttered. “I’m going home.”

  April removed her gun again, and this time shot him in the head. He dropped to the ground, steam rising from the blast, face obliterated. “Sorry. He was really too stupid to be allowed to breed.”

  The younger boy had jumped aside. “Shit! You kilt him!”

  “I did,” April agreed. “Now get in the flyer and follow me unless you want me to knock you over the head and bring you to the Drake naked.”

  He turned and ran for the flyer. “Okay!”

  April shook her head and headed back to the carrier, aware of Doug’s eyes watching her through the plas. She gave him a slight wave, went to the hatch, and hopped up into the craft. “Morons.” She hit the hatch close. “Mater always said Cooper’s mated with starfish.”

  Doug prepared the carrier to fly. “Seem like kids.”

  “They are.”

  “I was kinda stupid as a kid,” Doug said.

  “Good thing we didn’t cross paths until you grew up then.” April seated her restraints. “Make sure the little bastard follows us.”

  “Mmm.” Doug boosted on the jets and rotated, then started on a course back to the road.

  JESS SLID INTO her issue jacket and put her hood up. “I’m going to go talk to them. Tired of sitting here.”

  They’d only been sitting for a matter of five minutes, but Dev just nodded. “Shall I come with you?”

  “Nah. No sense in both of us getting drenched. Just keep an eye on them for me and let out one of those cute yells of yours if they do something sketch.” She punched the hatch door and exited without waiting for Dev to answer.

  Dev sighed and returned her attention to the wagons, which were still tightly shuttered and blocked any sign of their inhabitants. The rain was coming down sideways and in waves that flowed over Jess’s tall, angular form as it made its way across the road’s rubble strewn surface.

  Just shy of the front wagon Jess stopped and stood, her hands in her jacket pockets, head down a little, protected by the hood, being relentlessly pelted by the weather.

  It seemed somewhat non-optimal.

  Dev glanced behind her at the weapons station, then she returned her attention to the windscreen. Her fingers were on the comms key as she leaned on her console a little, ready to yell a warning into Jess’s ear.

  Comms crackled in her ear. “Tac two, Tac one.”

  “Ack,” she responded.

  “Target one, en route.”

  “Ack.” Dev reached over and triggered the outside comms. “Jess.”

  Jess, who had merely been loitering and waiting for the wagons to burp up someone, half turned and looked back over her shoulder, reaching up to touch the comms key in her ear. She held up her other arm, shielding her face from the rain. “Go, Dev.”

  “The second carrier is on the way back. They have a captive,” Dev said. “There is also a wave of much heavier precipitation coming down the road. Perhaps you should return?”

  “Ya think?”

  “I do, actually. You appear to be in discomfort.”

  Jess regarded the sky, then she turned and retreated back to the carrier. “No movement in there, huh?”

  “No.”

  Jess was dripping all over the floor of the carrier, and when she pushed her hood back, raindrops trickled from the point of her nose. “I should have kept my ass inside.” She shed her jacket and hung it up. “Why did you let me do that, Devvie?”

  Dev looked over at her. “Excuse me?”

  “Next time just tackle me.” Jess got up and retrieved the pullover, settling it over her head. “Don’t let me be stupid.”

  Dev checked the long range scan, then got up and went to the dispenser, removed some towels, and walked over to dry Jess’s face, with a serious, intent look. Jess’s cheeks were chilled, and she gently put her hand against one of them, staring down into her eyes. “You’re never stupid, Jess. You’re the smartest person I know.”

  Jess stuck her tongue out, making a face when it was wiped with the towel.

  Chapter Five

  DAN KUROK SAT quietly in his office, a soft rumble of computer generated thunder echoing softly in the background. He studied a tablet propped up on his desk and made notes into a console just to the side of it.

  A soft knock on the door panel made him pause and look up. “Come in.” He triggered the lock and sat back as a tall figure dressed in a white lab coat entered. “Hello, Halley.”

  “Hello, Doctor.” The woman came over and sat down. “Pardon me for interrupting you, but I have some directives here I’d like to discuss if you have a moment.”

  Kurok sat back and folded his hands over his stomach. “Go ahead. It’s time I took a break from this anyway.”

  Halley smiled. “Thank you, sir.” She looked down at her pad. “The arrangements for the visits from NM-Dev-1 and the Interforce person. I see you countermanded the housing?” She looked up in some confusion. “Was there something wrong?”

  “Yes,” Kurok said. “You placed Dev into crèche quarters.”

  Hally’s brows creased. “Yes, sir, I did. Where else would I have assigned a biological unit?”

  “Guest quarters. Preferably right next to Agent Drake’s. Which is where I put her.” He watched the proctor’s face twitch. “And I locked that down so no one could imagine I made a mistake and change it back.”

  “I don’t understand.”

  “Dev is our guest,” Kurok said. “Just as Jesslyn Drake is. They are coming here to assist me at some effort and disruption to themselves. I want them treated with courtesy.”

  The proctor studied him. “But, Doctor, NM-Dev-1 is a bio alt. The only place she should be housed, outside the crèche, is in transient quarters. You know that. It’s the rules.”

  “I know.” Doctor Dan smiled kindly at her. “I wrote most of those rules you know.”

  “Everyone will get upset. And it will cause a problem for the other bio alts,” Halley said, seriously. “Think of the precedent it would set, and all the questions.”

  “I know. I have. However, I also thought about how difficult it’s going to be for Dev to return here, given she’s lived as a natural born for almost six months, and how unhappy it would make her if we put her back in the crèche.”

  “But she’s a bio alt.”

  “I know, and she knows that. But she’s not lived as one since she left here. They don’t treat her as one,” Doctor Dan said, with a note of finality in his voice. “So since she’s doing me a favor, I’m going to make sure she doesn’t suffer unhappiness because of it.”

  “But, Doctor.” Halley looked distressed.

  He interrupted her gently. “And, of course, we’re all going to respect the presence of Senior Operations Agent Drake, who I suspect will break the neck of anyone intentionally making Dev unhappy. I’d rather not lose valuable scientific personnel including, of course, yourself.”

  Halley shut her jaw with a t
iny, audible snick.

  “So if you want to give that as the reason I’ve made such a radical exception to the rules, feel free to do so. Everyone should also understand that our rules, as we know them, will quite possibly not be respected by Agent Drake, and there’s also a good possibility that we will not be able to do anything about that.”

  “Doctor, that sounds terrible. The agent sounds very dangerous.”

  “She is.” Doctor Dan smiled his gentle smile. “Jess is a quite classically presented amoral sociopath, and she’s spent most of her life practicing her brutal and significantly homicidal talents with great success. But all in all, I quite like her, and I think you all will find her engaging and somewhat entertaining.”

  Halley merely stared at him.

  “She’s also rather attached to Dev. Let’s make sure that doesn’t get anyone killed, all right?”

  Uncertainly the proctor stood up and retreated, escaping out the door and leaving him once again in peace. Kurok chuckled a little and went back to his screen, pausing again as a note presented itself to him on his pad.

  He tapped it and read it through, drumming his fingertips on the desk.

  APRIL STOOD NEAR the back of the carrier, long rifle cradled in the crook of one arm. Their hapless captive stood near the hatch dripping rain on the floor, while Jess relaxed comfortably in her padded seat.

  Doug sat on the jumpseat near the pilot’s, his head close to Dev’s elbow as they both hovered over the controls.

  Outside the storm had gotten worse, raining so hard you couldn’t see the wagons from the carriers, though Dev was monitoring them through her scanners.

  The kid had his arms wrapped around him. “Two, maybe three weeks back we all got plundered, the stores, you know? Took everything they could get and ran when the alarms done went off. Ran back to the road.”

  Jess glanced over at April, who shrugged. “Could have been a tribe. They do that,” April said. “I remember some raids, back in the day.”