Marre Nostrum, Murph [top 10 ebook reader .TXT] 📗

Snowblind

James glanced from left to right and back again as he surveyed the room around him. His two wingmen, "Flaky" and "Merkin", were doing the same. There was a faint hiss as the pressure in his cockpit equalized with the surrounding atmosphere. With a pneumatic hum the canopy opened and James began stepping down the boarding ladder. As he came near the bottom he took another look around. Everything seemed to glow a dull orange due to the dim yellow lighting and rust-covered walls. Flaky and Merkin stepped to his side. James heard Flaky swallow hard with dread as he noticed several security turrets traversing to follow them, and two dozen armed guards came rushing at them, weapons at the ready. Before they knew it, the three pilots were surrounded, standing back to back.
"Well, sir," Merkin whispered through gritted teeth, "what's the plan?"
For several seconds the UEN pilots stood in silence, all contemplating reaching for their side-arms and provoking their seemingly inevitable end. As James turned his head to reply to Merkin the crowd parted to allow through a tall, slender brunette clad in dark brown leather. She wore her hair back in a tight pony tail, and her leather boots went half-way up her calves. She had a large caliber revolver, a .44 from what James could see, in a holster on her left hip. He gulped as he examined this new arrival, he also felt Flaky and Merkin staring past him, nearly unable to keep their mouths closed. The woman raised her hand in a surprisingly gentle motion, and the guards lowered their rifles.
"What have we got here boys?" She asked, her voice a sultry mix of intrigue and teasing. One of the guards replied with a thick Russian accent,
"UEN drones," he raised an oversized finger at James, "Except that one. He looks important." At this comment, the woman stepped closer to James, nearly pressing herself against him. She stood as tall as he did with the help of the heels on her boots. She looked right into his eyes as if stealing his deepest, darkest secrets. She smiled as she saw the rank on his shoulder. She traced a seductive finger down his jawline.
"You have very pretty eyes, Colonel." She purred, "You also look very familiar."
James shrugged, "I get that a lot." the woman stared as if memorizing every detail of his face.
"I know where I recognize you from!" She snapped and smiled triumphantly, "You're the kid that stole a Navy star fighter for a joy ride in the Aurora Mountains. Ottoway, that's the name, right?"
James smiled approvingly, "I'm flattered that you recognize me, and as long as we're playing guessing games, I'd like to take a shot at who you are." The woman crossed her arms and stood with an air of curiosity. Her stance was screaming to him “Let’s see what you’ve got!” James took another look at her before speaking,
"A female in a pirate outpost that commands the respect that you do, and you just so happened to have seen a newscast that was only broadcast on Snowbourne,” He paused for a brief moment, “who else could you be but Kristen Hamilton?"
The woman smiled, "Very good, Colonel." She motioned to the guards again, and all but four dispersed. James turned his head to whisper to his wingmen,
"Stay sharp, boys. This one is a vixen. You guys know the regulation. I'll get us out of here." Flaky and Merkin nodded. James turned back to Kristen, who then about-faced with military precision.
"Come, Colonel." she motioned with her finger, "Let's walk." At this, two of the remaining guards fell in front of Kristen, and the other two behind James and his wingmen.
"Hey boss." Flaky whispered. James replied with a questioning grunt. "I think she likes you."

Kristen's guards led the way through the labyrinthine interior of the pirate base. Kristen narrated as if giving a rehearsed tour.
"It's beautiful, isn't it?" she inquired as they group came onto a gantry that overlooked a vast openness the resembled a dreadnaught hangar bay. Unregistered vehicles of every shape and size were undergoing repairs and maintenance. The whole area buzzed with life.
"This is my masterpiece," Kristen continued, "my crown jewel. I call it Snowblind. It’s a lovely little hideaway from the rest of humanity, the perfect place to be if you don't want anyone to find you. Wouldn't you agree, Colonel?"
James recoiled slightly, not expecting to be asked about anything,
"This is an amazing place," he said after a moment of thought, "how did you go about paying for all of this?" Kristen gave a playful laugh,
"Oh, just extra credits from here and there."
"By 'here and there', you mean money you made from selling contraband on the black market?"
Kristen gave a frustrated sigh, "Just like a UEN drone, unable to look past anything he considers to be illegitimate." she sighed, "if you must call it the black market, then yes, that's where the funds came from, but, business is business, Colonel. Even the UEN should have taught you that by now."

2 hours later aboard Silent Epitaph

"Well, sergeant," Admiral Saigo fumed, "what happened to them?" A small, timid girl sat before the Admiral and several other high-ranking naval officers. The lights were all turned off, save for a bright halogen lamp that was focused on her face. The Admiral was nearly invisible, and she couldn't see the other officers.
"Sir, all I heard on the comms was Colonel Ottoway saying, don't give them an excuse to vaporize us. Then there was silence for about 2 minutes before he said Atori A kin. That's it."
"And what does Atori A kin mean sergeant?" one of the officers snapped.
"It’s Everitian, the first language I learned. it means ‘follow me not."
"So," Admiral Saigo analyzed, "he said that… why?"
"I can only speculate sir, but it would appear that he doesn't want us to go in after him." Her tone was almost defiant. She paused for a moment before adding, "I don't know what he's thinking."
The room fell silent at this. Electricity was in the air as everyone present thought about the best way to solve this problem. After what felt like several minutes, one of the officers spoke,
"Admiral."
Admiral Saigo gave a short grunt of acknowledgement.
"Sir, weighing the known pirate forces in the area against ours, making a move against them, especially right in the middle of them, is exceptionally risky. Especially since part of the fleet is still crippled from our run-in with the Brotherhood."
Admiral Saigo turned his head to look at the officer, and placed his hands on the table for support as he leaned forward to listen. "Go on." he said.
"Colonel Ottoway must have already calculated that risk and figured that any attempt to rescue him and his team would only mean more casualties."
"We thought of that as well, Captain." The Admiral replied bluntly. He sat down and folded his hands, lost in thought for a few short moments. "We can't wait around forever for him to be released or break out. We'll give him a week. We can't spare more than that.” He fell silent for a quick moment before giving his new orders, “Gentlemen," the Admiral ordered, "Return to you ships and put your crews on level 2 alert. Dismissed." the Admiral turned back to the sergeant, "You're a good operator, Sergeant Yael. Return to your quarters, get some rest. I have a feeling we'll be busy again in no time."

3 hours later on Snowblind

James sat on the edge of the bunk he'd be given for his "stay" on Snowblind. His wingmen had been locked in a separate cell. Cell. Whatever. He thought. This is more like a hotel suite on Hera. The only thing that made the room a ‘cell’ was the fact that the door locked from the outside. James fought back a yawn. I have to be careful. He was staring at a bump on the permacrete wall when the pneumatic hiss of the door caught his attention. Standing in the door way was the same guard who'd pointed him out when he'd arrived. He motioned for James to get up.
"Come Colonel," he ordered in his think accent, "Lady Hamilton wishes to see you." James stood and stretched his legs. He gave a quick defiant smile to the burly guard,
"Lead the way, Boris."

A 10 minute walk through a labyrinth of hallways later the guard stopped outside of a relatively ornate door. It was engraved with the likeness of a Vulpe, a large fox-like creature native to Snowbourne. James stepped past the guard and into the doorway. The door hissed as it opened, revealing what appeared to be a very cozy cavern. Low-light lamps were the only illumination, but the stark contrast between the browns and yellows it created added a comforting life to the room. James cautiously stepped inside. He began to look around, soaking up his surroundings as the door hissed shut behind him. when he didn't see Kristen anywhere he called,
"Honey! I'm home!"
At this, Kristen stepped from around a corner.
"Apologies for not being able to accept you at the door myself, Colonel." She purred, "I had some business to attend to."
"It’s nothing I'm not used to." James replied, "most women are afraid of me." Kristen laughed at this.
"You think I am afraid of you, Colonel?" She giggled, "Don't flatter yourself just yet. Please, take a seat." James had already picked out a spot on the brown leather sofa and immediately occupied it. Kristen sat opposite him, relaxed, but still formal.
"Where are you from, Colonel?"
"If we're gonna play twenty questions, then please leave my rank out of it." James said as politely as he could.
"What should I call you then?" Kristen asked teasingly, "Mr. Ottoway?"
James smiled slightly, "Most people call me either James or Otter. I’ll even answer to Jim. Your pick."
"Very well then, James." Kristen nodded, "Where are you from?"
"Snowbourne."
"I know that." She purred, "But what city?"
"Mt. Marathon."
Kristen hummed approval at this. "Lovely city. I love the mountains. It was always a treat to see Mt. Marathon while I was growing up."
"I take it you lived somewhere coastal then, probably Auburn."
"Very good James, yes." Kristen smiled, "What else do you know about me?"
James took a deep breath and looked around the room. "Your favorite color is yellow, your flagship is named Snowbourne, you left Auburn when you were about 16 to live at Mt. Seraphim, you were married to a striking young man from Amerigo who came to Snowbourne in a search to strike it rich mining gems in the Aurora Mountain Range. Which is when I'm guessing the marriage ended." James trailed off as he noticed that Kristen was now leaning forward, listening intently.
"Go on." She whispered.
"There was a mine collapse just outside of Auburn in 2460. 38 miners were killed. Your husband was one of them, wasn't he?"
Kristen sat up straight and cleared her throat, "Yes. Yes I was married to a man from Amerigo. He was one of the miners killed in that collapse." She glanced at the holograph pictures on the shelves, looking puzzled, "how -. how did -"
"I know all of that?" James interrupted, "I have a photographic memory. When I came into this room I started to look around to see what I might learn." He was staring straight at her. "There are 6 holographs to my right, each one a different point in your life. I assumed that