Dark Angels Rising Read online

  “I didn’t know she could stay physical for this long.”

  “I don’t think she can, normally,” Jen replied. “And please don’t ask me what that means or even whether it means anything at all, because I’ve no idea. Good work switching off that column of light, by the way.”

  “I didn’t. Not directly, in any case. I think it must have been linked in some way to the woman officer’s aug. When I knocked her out, it shut down as well.”

  Naj moaned, and moved her head.

  “Geminum,” Jen said. “It’s over. You’re free.”

  Her eyes flickered open and she stared up, frowning. “Jen?”

  “Yes, I’m here with Hel N. Can you sit up?”

  “If you help, maybe. I’ve never experienced anything like that before…” she added, as Jen supported her in sitting upright. “I feel sick. Hell, and now I’m slipping out of phase…”

  “Geminum, get back home to Raider,” Leesa said quickly.

  “But we can help you scavenge the parts you need,” Naj/Mosi said.

  Ever the mechanic. “I know you can,” she said out loud, “but I’m also capable of doing it without you, so get lost. You’ve done your bit, leave the rest to us.”

  Naj nodded and then blinked out, leaving Jen crouching and empty handed. She looked up to meet Leesa’s gaze, turning her empty hands over and back. “Now that was weird.” She stood up. “Are you ready to head down to engineering? The sooner we can get back to Raider the better.”

  “No argument from me on that score,” Leesa said. “Can you get through to Raider?” It would have been reassuring to know that Geminum had returned safely to Mosi’s body, but Jen shook her head.

  “Nor can I,” Leesa admitted; she had asked more in hope than expectation. “The shielding must be too heavy. Let’s go look at those engines so we can get the hell out of here.”

  “Count me in,” Jen said. Her role would be to ride shotgun, watching Leesa’s back in case any more Night Hammers showed up, while she scavenged the engine parts they needed.

  “We can check on Mosi and Naj from the airlock once we’re done,” Leesa said as they left ops. “We know Raider can hear us from there.”

  Drake started as Mosi screamed, his arms thrashing and body convulsing. True, it was a sign of life, but they might have hoped for something a little less dramatic.

  Saavi reached him first. “Mosi, it’s okay, you’re back on Raider.”

  The screaming and the thrashing stopped, to be replaced by heaving chest and gasping breaths.

  “Saavi…?” The relief that simple word of recognition brought surprised Drake. He’d only just started to reunite the Angels, and couldn’t face the prospect of losing any of them so soon.

  “Sorry,” Mosi said, calming down. “I thought something had gone wrong and we were back there.”

  “What happened?” Drake asked.

  “The Night Hammers trapped us, somehow, I don’t know how, but we couldn’t move, couldn’t phase either out or in.”

  “Hel N and Shadow?”

  “They got us out. We left them to complete the mission and came back here, but the crossing felt different. Sorry for the screaming, but for an awful moment I thought we were there again, trapped.” He shuddered.

  “Go get some rest,” Drake said, knowing how much projecting over distance took out of Geminum.

  Mosi shook his head. “Later, maybe, but not until I know Jen and Leesa are safe.”

  They all waited, which was enough to convince Drake that next time he was going on the mission, whatever it might be. He simply wasn’t cut out to wait around while others took the risks.

  Eventually, the call came through. “Captain?”

  “Leesa! Is everything okay?”

  “Yes, all good. We got what we came for and are heading back now. Is Geminum with you?

  “Yes, a little shaken but he’s fine.”

  Before long the away team were back on board. While Raider took the ship away from Darkness Mourning, everyone headed to the galley for some well-deserved relaxation with a side order of alcohol, apart from Mosi, who was excused for a lie down. Both Leesa and Jen were in high spirits – and why shouldn’t they be?

  Drake remained keen to hear details of the recent mission.

  “So this trap that snared Geminum,” he said, “was it designed specifically for that, do you think? Or was it just something they had handy which they tried and it worked?”

  “Not sure,” Jen replied.

  “If you want my best guess,” Leesa said, “it was specifically designed with Geminum in mind. What Mosi does is so unusual I don’t see how it could be otherwise. I mean, what else would you be looking to trap with it but someone shifting between states?”

  Drake had been thinking much the same, which, if true, was a worrying development.

  “We know they’ve been working closely with Donal,” Jen said, “so presumably he could have provided some inside knowledge on who we are and how we operate.”

  Drake nodded. “And they’ve had plenty of time to prepare for us. We know Saflik have been hunting down Dark Angels for years, so it probably shouldn’t come as a surprise that they’ve developed countermeasures for some of us.”

  “Yeah, but that specific and that effective?”

  “Do you think the same trap would have caught you?” he asked.

  “I’m not sure,” Jen admitted. “And I don’t intend going back to find out.”

  “Your abilities are very different from Geminum’s…” Drake said.

  “But they both involve switching between physical states,” Leesa finished for him. “A snare that could immobilise both of you… Now there’s a sobering thought.” And she took another slug of beer.

  “And you’re sure there were just the six Night Hammers aboard?

  Jen nodded. “Yeah, while Leesa scavenged what she needed from the engines, I went into shadow and scoured the whole ship. There were no others.”

  “Skeleton crew,” Drakes murmured. It didn’t take a genius to work out where the rest would be. Lenbya. It brought home the urgency of their endeavours all over again.

  Saavi was with them but stayed at the fringes of the conversation. She didn’t indulge in alcohol, which might have been part of the reason, but Drake sensed it was more than that. She had seemed more like her old self during the mission, when it was just the two of them in ops, but judging by her current expression the weight of recent events had started to prey on her thoughts again. She listened intently as they talked, her hand resting on the head of Jai, currently configured as a metallic dog, as if to seek reassurance, but contributed little.

  After a while, she excused herself and went to leave.

  “Saavi, are you okay?” Drake said.

  “Yes, Captain, fine. Just a few things I want to check up on in the cloud chamber.”

  “Maybe share that bit about being fine with your face, “Leesa suggested. “Only it doesn’t seem to have got the message.”

  Cloud shot her a sullen glare.

  The last thing Drake wanted was for Saavi to lose faith in her own abilities, to start second guessing herself to such a degree that she stopped passing her insights on to the rest of them. They needed her unfiltered guidance or it was inevitable they’d miss something. “You were right to bring us here, Saavi,” he said quietly.

  “You think?” she said, showing a rare flash of passion. “To get Raider disabled and Mosi almost killed… How can that possibly be right?”

  “Nobody said any of this this was going to be simple, Saavi,” Jen said. “With the way things are going, we aren’t likely to face many straight forward options and there’ll be fewer and fewer pain-free choices to be made, but we know you’ll always pick the best from a bad bunch. The rest of us can’t do that, just you.”

  “Yeah, and look on the bright side,” Leesa added. “At least no one got killed.”

  Saavi snorted. “So is that
how we judge success these days: ‘no one got killed’?”

  “Sometimes, yes.”

  “There are worse criteria,” Drake said quickly, not wishing to see the exchange between Cloud and Leesa escalate. “Because we were here and Sabre 1 was here, others are now alerted to what’s going on. It’s not just us against the universe any more.”

  “Assuming anyone believes you,” Leesa said.

  “Oh, they’ll believe me all right,” at least some of them will. “It’s whether or not they can agree on what to do about it that concerns me.” He turned back to Saavi. “But if you hadn’t brought us here, we would still be alone in this, with no allies, no hope of help.”

  “We still are, if you ask me,” Leesa said. “So stop blaming yourself for things that aren’t your fault, will you?” She grinned, softening the words. The tension between them had evaporated as swiftly as it flared up. “And get your arse back into that room of mists of yours. We need to know where we’re headed next.”

  Saavi seemed reassured and almost smiled. “All right then,” she said. “Remember, though, you asked for it, so don’t blame me…”

  “We don’t!” said more than one voice in chorus.

  “Okay, okay. I’m on my way.”

  Seven

  “This is Sullivan Control calling Comet class transport on approach vector four delta seven. Please confirm your identity.”

  Drake and Leesa had the helm. They exchanged uneasy glances. Whatever this might be, it wasn’t normal. They were still showing the false hull ident configured by Raider to get them into the Callia system, which mimicked the code of one of the scrapped Comet class vessels abandoned at the yard where the ship had lain hidden for a decade. In theory, they were an unremarkable if aging ship which any port authority should just wave through without a second glance. So why the challenge? Had they been unlucky, adopting the identity of a ship that was remembered at this port for some historical misdeed?

  Drake bit his lip. Only one way to find out, and to delay replying any longer would just invite further suspicion.

  “Sullivan Control, this is the Blue Angel, on route from Callia III. Is there a problem of some kind?”

  The time lag as they waited for a response seemed interminable. Eventually the reply came back. “We hope not, Blue Angel. It’s just that according to our records your ship was decommissioned years ago.”

  “Somebody keeps their ship registration list up to date,” Leesa muttered sub-voce.

  “I don’t know about that,” Drake replied to Sullivan. “I haven’t had her long. Bought her from a dealer in the New Sparta system. It all seemed perfectly legit.”

  “No doubt there’s a simple explanation, Blue Angel, but it is an issue we’ll need to clear up. Please remain aboard your ship once you’ve docked and be ready for inspection.”

  “Is that strictly necessary, Sullivan Control? We’re on a tight schedule and not intending to stay long. We’ll be out of your hair before you even know we’ve landed.”

  “That’s as maybe, Blue Angel, but there are protocols that have to be observed in a situation like this. We’ll process everything as swiftly as possible.”

  “Thank you, Sullivan, that would be appreciated.”

  Drake broke the connection.

  “For Elder’s sake!” Leesa exclaimed. “Now what do we do?”

  Good question. They’d have a hard time explaining either the artefact room or the cloud chamber to an inspection team. “Think quickly,” was all he said aloud; then, “Raider, how long until we dock?”

  “Not long enough,” Leesa said before Raider could reply.

  They touched down at the allotted berth and waited. Drake had been busy during their approach, as had Raider, though to what effect remained to be seen. Together they had pulled apart financial histories and chased down connections that were never meant to be found easily, then they had made a flurry of calls. Some went unanswered, some were rebuffed with contempt or even anger. Drake seemed to take it all in his stride and just moved onto the next on the list. They were past the point of worrying about whose feathers they ruffled. One or two of those calls, however, showed some promise. Whether or not that promise bore fruit they would discover in the next few moments.

  Leesa could do nothing during all this other than stand by and watch, feeling like a spare part and wishing there was some way in which she could help, but knowing that she’d only get in the way.

  Drake let her take the ship in, perhaps sensing her need to contribute. They were all there in ops as the ship made port, the whole crew. As far as she knew, there was no Plan B. If this didn’t work they were royally screwed.

  “I hate this waiting,” Jen murmured into the silence that gathered weight following their arrival.

  “Yeah, whoever said ‘patience is a virtue’ must have been trying to convince themselves first and foremost,” Leesa said.

  “At least no one’s tried to board us.”

  “Yet,” Leesa couldn’t resist adding.

  As an afterthought, she looked across at Saavi and gave what she hoped was a reassuring smile. The kid’s confidence had been shaken by the Night Hammer incident. Saavi’s gaze was fixed firmly forward, however, and she didn’t seem to notice.

  “Incoming call,” Raider reported, just as Leesa wondered how much more of this she could take.

  “Sullivan Control to Blue Angel, I’ve been instructed to inform you that you have one day’s grace in which to conclude whatever business you have here – that’s one day local time. If you’re still in port a minute after that, an inspection team will board you without further notice.”

  A collective sigh greeted the words.

  “Thank you, Sullivan Control, your terms have been duly noted,” Drake replied.

  “You have some powerful friends, Blue Angel, that’s all I can say. You’re free to disembark. Don’t overstay your welcome.”

  “Understood.”

  “Thank fuck for that,” Leesa allowed herself once the connection was broken.

  Almost immediately, another call came in, visual on this occasion.

  They were confronted by a pale woman whose face bore the alabaster perfection of rejuve, her hair pulled back in a tight bun, while her dark eyes looked fit to burn someone to cinders.

  “Well, Mister Drake, I’ve ensured the hounds remain leashed for now, at any rate. Don’t make me regret doing so.”

  “I won’t, Councillor, and thank you. First Solar is grateful for your assistance.”

  Assistance which had only been secured by Drake leaning heavily on the fact that her campaign was largely reliant on First Solar’s funding. Leesa was coming to appreciate just how far the tendril’s of New Sparta’s influence, and the banking system it represented, spread. They didn’t need an official presence on a world in order to exert their will. She found the implications… disturbing.

  “They’d better be,” the councillor said. “And let this be an end to it. If you cause trouble or fall foul of any local laws, don’t reach out to me again. I won’t respond. This is an election year and I have no intention of being embroiled in a scandal, so after this you’re on your own. Do I make myself clear?”

  “Perfectly.”

  Her image winked out.

  “Nice lady,” Jen remarked. “She’s got my vote.”

  “You can’t really judge her on that,” Drake said. “An election year means she’ll be under pressure, and we’ve just turned that up a few notches, but I know what you mean.”

  “At least she took your call,” Mosi pointed out, “and did what you asked of her, however reluctantly.”

  “True,” Drake said. “So let’s not waste the time she’s bought us.” He turned to Saavi. “Cloud, you’re confident of where we need to go?”

  “Yes, for once the reading is mercifully unambiguous.”

  “A bar,” Leesa said, “now there’s a surprise.”

  “Ten minutes’ walk
from the port,” Saavi confirmed. “A place called the Spacer’s Lament.”

  “I like the sound of it already.”

  “And it’s definitely a man we’re meant to find there,” Drake said, going over everything one final time with a thoroughness Leesa found reassuring. The captain’s well and truly back with us.

  “Yes,” Saavi said, “but I can’t see his face, no matter how hard I try to focus.”

  “Not to worry, “said Jen. “I’m sure we’ll recognise him – it’ll be another former Angel, presumably.”

  “Has to be.”

  “And, Raider, you can direct us?” Drake said.

  “Indeed.”

  “We’re set then.” Drake nodded towards her. “Lees, Jen, you’re with me. Mosi, stay here with Saavi. Jen, you’re to be our back up, so hang back and keep out of sight.”

  “My speciality.”

  “Mosi, Saavi, stay alert. This all sounds straight forward enough but let’s not take anything for granted.”

  “One thing,” Saavi said at the last moment. “Can you keep any eye open for anything relating to a narwhal – a sign, an emblem, a drawing, graffiti… whatever.”

  Leesa had no idea what she was on about, nor, she suspected, did anyone else.. “What’s a narwhal?” she said.

  “It’s a mythical beast from Old Earth; think huge fish with a unicorn’s horn for a nose.”

  “Sounds bizarre, but will do.”

  “Is this important, Saavi?” the captain asked.

  “I don’t know,” she admitted. “The narwhal keeps cropping up in the timelines but I can’t figure out the significance, except that it seems to be a blockage of some kind – things go haywire around it and I can’t get a handle on what lies beyond. I can’t even say for sure if it’s on this world or not, but it’s somewhere, and yes, I think it is important.”

  Drake nodded. “Okay, we’ll let you know.”

  As the captain and Jen left ops, Leesa lingered for a moment, seeing a sour smile on Mosi’s face.