Revolution: The Ship Series // Book Two Page 8

  “Where in the hell did they go?”

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  Where are we?

  They searched the immediate vicinity, but there was no sign of Kalare or the others in the nearby tunnels. They wouldn’t have wandered off within the labyrinthine maintenance network, so that suggested they had left the tunnels and gone into the main passageways. Zax worried about leaving the tunnels, particularly after they had just heard a ruckus a few mins ago, but feared losing track of Kalare far worse.

  “Sir—I don’t see what choice we have at this point. We’ve got to find them.”

  “We always have a choice, cadet, but we must be sure that even when we make the right choice we are making it for the right reasons. If you hadn’t thrown away my offer of mentorship last year, you’d already be well familiar with that lesson. What are your reasons for seeking our companions?”

  Just saying “Kalare” would not be an acceptable response in the Boss’s eyes, even if it was honestly the sum total of Zax’s motivation. He thought for a moment before answering.

  “Because our tactical situation is far better when we are traveling with a Marine armed with a blaster, sir, even when said Marine is as injured as Sergeant Bailee.”

  “Exactly right, cadet, well done. One hundred credits. Now, let’s head out the access port over here and see if we can find them.”

  Zax momentarily found himself flustered and didn’t immediately follow behind the Boss. He had zero trust for the murderous Omega and desired nothing more than to abandon him to his fate in the tunnel network, but the man’s praise triggered reward centers in Zax’s brain which had been firmly wired by a lifetime of chasing career advancement. He tried to shake the feeling off but found it was difficult to do so. It was only one hundred credits, but having the Boss dole out any bonus in the middle of this disaster made Zax wonder what additional rewards might be in store if he successfully led the Omega to safety.

  He had originally agreed to rescue the Boss primarily to make Kalare happy, but Zax now glimpsed how doing so could be his ticket back up the Leaderboard and out of the odorous hell of Waste Systems. They were in the middle of chaos right now, but there was no way the Marines would fail to overcome the civilian uprising and Zax had already learned how chaos sometimes created opportunity. A year ago the Boss had given him 8,000 credits for patching the panorama in Flight Ops during a battle. Wouldn’t saving his life from rampaging civilians be worth some multiple of that?

  But then Zax thought back to the fate of the Chief Engineer. The Boss ordering the murder of his fellow Omega was just another example of how he would stop at nothing to satisfy whatever schemes ran deep in his mind. The notion he might now turn around and make any meaningful contribution to Zax’s career standing was absurd.

  Zax set aside the foolish delusion and grounded himself back in the reality of his situation. Getting the Boss to safety was only valuable because it would get himself and Kalare to safety as well. At least, if they could find her and the others again. He ran to catch up and did so as the Boss stopped to listen at the access port.

  “I don’t hear anything out there, cadet. I’m going to open this just enough for you to peek your head out. If you see anyone you don’t want to see, then pull yourself back immediately. That will be my signal to slam the hatch shut. If it’s empty, then listen in for a min. If we don’t hear or see anything, then let’s go on through.”

  The Omega opened the hatch and Zax stuck his head out. A quick glance left and right proved the passageway to be empty as expected. Zax silently counted to sixty as he listened intently for any noise, but the area sounded as abandoned as it appeared. He stepped out into the bright light of the main passage and motioned for the Boss to follow.

  “Where are we?”

  Zax didn’t hesitate as he knew the area well. “Compartment 51-F is around that corner, sir. If we head this way instead, it will put us on the path to reaching Waste Systems Control. I doubt Bailee and the others know exactly how to get there, but they knew it was our eventual destination. It seems like the most logical direction for us to head with the hope of finding them. It’s actually faster in the tunnels, but I think we should stay in the main passageways and hope we run into them along the way.”

  “Agreed. Let’s move out. Take it slow and quiet, cadet, so we don’t give anyone a chance to hear us coming.”

  Zax led the way. At the hatch for each compartment off the passageway, they halted for a moment and listened before checking inside. At every turn and intersection of the passage, they paused and checked for noise beyond before poking their heads around for a quick scan. It made for extremely slow going but was the prudent approach when you never knew if you might turn a corner only to find a pack of rebels. What exactly they would do if they encountered civilians other than run or surrender, Zax had no clue.

  Waste Systems was never a bustling hub of activity, but Zax found it eerie to see it so absolutely deserted. The civilian workers had clearly heeded the announcement to return to their quarters. Some literally dropped what they were doing as evidenced by the work materials scattered all around—a mess that was only exacerbated by the unplanned FTL. The Boss and Zax moved on as soon as they verified each new compartment was empty, but eventually the Omega broke the pattern.

  “There’s something about this compartment that seems odd, cadet. Keep watch outside while I check it more thoroughly.”

  Zax had no idea why this compartment struck the man as any more interesting than the others they had quickly checked and left, but he had long since stopped trying to understand the inner workings of the minds of Omegas. It would probably be easier to crack the mysteries of the FTL engine than to decipher why the Ship’s most senior officers did the things they did. Zax kept his eyes scanning back and forth to check both ends of the passageway while he listened intently for the slightest noise. A min later the Boss returned shaking his head.

  “Nothing. I thought there was something a little too random about the way the tools and such were scattered around the compartment, but I didn’t see anything out of the ordinary. Let’s get moving.”

  The next compartment appeared to be nothing but more of the same. Zax had turned to leave when he caught movement out of the corner of his eye. A shadow darted out of an impossibly small hiding place near the hatch, and Zax froze not knowing whether to flee or reach for the blade in his boot. The Flight Boss did not suffer any hesitation. He pounced and tackled the figure to the ground. A moment later he stood up with what appeared to be a tiny civilian gripped in a vicious, suffocating headlock. The body was so small its legs flailed wildly at least half a meter above the deck. The Boss shifted his position and Zax got a good look at the threat.

  “Nolly!”

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  It was delicious, sir.

  “Sir—I know him! Don’t hurt him! Stop! Please stop!”

  Zax was on the verge of striking the Boss when the man finally reacted to his pleas. Nolly sank to the floor and sobbed between gasps for air. The Omega looked back and forth between the civilian and Zax a couple of times before retreating a few steps to stand with his arms crossed and a bemused expression.

  Nolly scampered away as Zax approached but stopped when he felt a gentle hand on his back. Zax knelt and stroked the boy’s head for a few mins until his tears had almost entirely subsided. Nolly finally looked up and Zax gave him a warm smile.

  “I’m sorry you got hurt, Nolly, but you scared us. We didn’t know it was you. What are you doing here? Why didn’t you go back to your quarters along with everyone else?”

  Nolly opened his mouth to speak, but another spasm of coughs triggered another bout of tears. Zax rubbed the boy’s back until the crying was gone again. Nolly drew a couple of final large breaths to cement his calm and then finally spoke.

  “I’m s-s-s-s-sorry, s-s-s-s-s-sir, but I didn’t see it was you and just wanted to g-g-g-get away.”

  “Take another minute to breathe, Nolly. It’s
OK. You’re safe. No one is going to hurt you again.”

  The Flight Boss cleared his throat and started to tap his foot impatiently. Zax couldn’t care less. The man must have realized he had a child in that chokehold. What would possess someone to continue to harm an innocent kid like that—regardless of their current circumstances?

  “It’s OK, sir,” Nolly whispered. “I’m better now. Thank you.”

  He sat up and Zax took it as the cue to rise and give the boy some space. A min later Nolly started his story.

  “I listened to Imair’s advice, sir, and took the apple you gave me to my favorite hiding spot. I come here sometimes if I need to get away from everyone for a little while. It was delicious, sir. Thank you so very much. My mouth felt amazing after eating it, so I decided to close my eyes and enjoy the feeling for just a few mins.

  “I must have fallen asleep because when I opened my eyes and started walking around, I realized I was all by myself. It was spooky. I heard a group of people talking in the distance, but when I peeked around a corner I saw it was a big group of angry-looking civilians who all had blasters. I got scared and turned back to try a different route, but then I heard more voices approaching so I came back in here to let them pass. It was a group of three Crew—one Marine with white hair and two cadets.”

  Zax glanced at the Boss who raised an eyebrow. Nolly continued.

  “The Marine had a blaster out which made me scared all over again, so I decided to just stay here and hide in my spot. I was trying to go back to sleep again when I heard the hatch open and you two walked in. I was afraid you were looking for me and would tear the compartment apart, so I made a break for it. You know what happened next.”

  Nolly turned in the Boss’s direction and gave him a look that was equal parts fear and anger. Zax tried to get the boy to focus back on him.

  “Nolly—the last group you saw, the one with the Marine with the white hair. Which way were they going?”

  The boy paused for a moment to think, and then pointed in the same direction that Zax and the Boss were already headed. Zax sighed with relief and addressed the Boss.

  “That’s great news, sir, at least we know now that we’re on their trail. We should get moving again.”

  Zax turned back to the boy.

  “Nolly—I want you to get back into your hiding space, and I want you to wait—”

  “Belay that command, cadet. He’s coming with us.”

  Zax looked at the Boss quizzically. The man walked towards the hatch as he continued.

  “He’s seen me down here, and I won’t risk having him run off to give anyone that intel. He’s clearly your pet so you better keep him in line. If he gets in the way once…”

  The Omega’s words hung in the air and their menace filled Zax with dread. Nolly was so overjoyed at the realization he would no longer be alone that he missed the Boss’s threat entirely.

  The three of them left the compartment and started down the passageway. They eventually came to a ladder that would bring them up to the same level as Waste Systems Control. Zax started up and then motioned for Nolly to follow. The boy stepped backwards instead.

  “No…”

  “What?” The Boss went instantly apoplectic. “Get on that ladder, boy!”

  The officer’s harsh tone took whatever trepidation the young civilian was feeling and increased it to the point that he once again burst into tears. Zax ignored the officer’s exasperation, jumped off the ladder, and took a knee to get his face down to the boy’s eye level.

  “What’s going on, Nolly? We need to go up that ladder now, OK? That’s where we’re going.”

  The boy slowly shook his head for a while and then finally looked up at Zax. He choked out an explanation through the tears.

  “Up there—that’s where I saw them. The big angry group with all the blasters.”

  Zax sighed in relief. Nolly wasn’t causing trouble, he was actually helping them out. Zax looked over at the Boss for affirmation of the boy’s usefulness, but the man’s expression offered nothing. Zax stood and patted the boy on the shoulder.

  “That’s awesome, Nolly, really awesome. Thank you for helping us avoid that big angry group. We’re not going to make you go up right now. We’ll take a different path. Let’s go.”

  It was a less direct routing, but Zax led them through a series of passageways and then up a different ladder. Zax eventually motioned for them to halt and gestured for the Boss to approach.

  “Sir,” he whispered, “that hatch at the end of the passageway is Waste Systems Control.”

  “OK, cadet, good work. I’ll hang back with the boy. I want you to recon and make sure your supervisors are still alone.”

  The Boss stepped back and put a hand on Nolly’s shoulder to keep him in place. The boy visibly recoiled from the man’s touch but managed to stay calm. Zax stalked down the passage until he was right up against the hatch.

  He barely made out voices, but they were definitely still in there. Zax heard Salmea and Westerick during his initial min of eavesdropping and was about to motion for the Boss and Nolly to join him when a third, more muffled voice joined the conversation. Zax held his breath and listened more intently in an attempt to identify the speaker, but the person was either too far away from the hatch or talking more quietly than the Waste Systems officers.

  Zax reached for the hatch and opened it a seemingly imperceptible crack. Before he could do anything more, the hatch exploded open and Zax was flung backwards only to be immediately lifted off the deck by a hand gripped around his throat. He stared down the barrel of a blaster and recognized Sergeant’s Bailee red face glaring at him from the other end. After a tense moment, the man released his hold on Zax and grimaced as he switched the blaster back to his uninjured arm.

  “It’s about time. What took you so long to get here?”

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  You can thank Captain Clueless over there.

  Zax followed the Boss into the compartment and fought back the overwhelming urge to give Kalare a hug when he spotted her. Aleron sat in a corner of the compartment and sported a fresh black eye. Major Westerick and Lieutenant Salmea stood at the hatch to Westerick’s office, and Westerick appeared nervous as the Flight Boss entered his domain. Salmea leaned against the bulkhead, indifferent as always to everything going on around her.

  Once the perfunctory greetings and introductions were over, the Boss took Sergeant Bailee into Westerick’s office along with the Waste Systems officers. Zax assumed it was a strategy meeting for the big minds. And Westerick and Salmea.

  Zax sat down for the first time since they had been marched out of Engineering Control by the burly civilian. It had only been a few hours, but it felt like a lifetime. Nolly sat next to him and when the boy yawned Zax suggested he close his eyes and rest. Nolly took this as an invitation to lay his head in Zax’s lap and was gently snoring within secs.

  Kalare approached and grinned as she took in the scene. She sat next to Zax on the side opposite where Nolly was sprawled. Zax spoke quietly to avoid waking the boy.

  “What happened to you guys? You were supposed to wait for me and the Boss to return.”

  “Tell me about it. You can thank Captain Clueless over there. We—”

  “I can hear you two perfectly well, you know!”

  Aleron sounded more whiny than he likely intended and Zax stifled a giggle. Kalare sighed dramatically but did so with a sly grin.

  “I really couldn’t care less about what you hear or don’t hear, Captain Clueless. As I was saying, we were waiting for you guys and Sergeant Bailee was in pretty rough shape. I suggested we get out of the tunnels and try to locate a medkit. He must have truly been feeling horrible because he agreed without hesitation. The hatch closest to where you left us opened onto an empty passage, so we went down the tunnel and tried a different one where we saw there were a few nearby compartments.

  “You told us we’d would be locked out of the tunnels if we let a hatch close behind
us, so we left Aleron at the access port and told him to keep it held open while we searched. Not sixty secs later Aleron screams like he’s being murdered. We run back and he’s jumping up and down, blabbering about a giant rat running out of the tunnel. Of course, he’d managed to let the hatch close behind him. We pounded on it for a while hoping to catch your attention when you passed by, but eventually gave up.”

  Zax whacked his forehead with the heel of his palm. He and the Boss had actually listened to them pounding from the other side of that hatch. Kalare continued.

  “We were rightfully pissed about getting locked out, but the sergeant went a little overboard and slugged Aleron in the face.”

  Aleron brooded silently and missed how Kalare looked over at him with a healthy degree of sympathy. Zax was taken aback by any show of compassion for the bully and was about to challenge Kalare about it when her expression shifted and she turned back to him.

  “What happened with you and the Boss? Who’s this kid?”

  Zax gave a recap of his journey from the point when they had returned to the meeting spot and found everyone was gone. He described his relationship with Nolly and how they came across the boy. He told her about what happened when Nolly refused to go up the ladder. Kalare raised her eyebrows at the realization there was a group of hostile civilians nearby.

  “One more thing I almost forgot. The Boss awarded me bonus credits at one point. Can you believe him? We’re in the middle of all this craziness, and he’s awarding credits? To me, of all people!”

  Kalare had smiled attentively throughout Zax’s retelling, but at this point she leaned in and positively beamed.

  “Credits! That’s awesome, Zax! Do you know what this means? He’s warming back up to you. Remember all those credits he gave you when we patched the breach in the panorama last year—can you imagine how many you could earn for rescuing him from civilians? You can get right back to the top of the Leaderboard and join me in the Flight Academy!”