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  David dashed out of the room, dropping the wrench as he ran. The call must be coming from the only other communications terminal in the rear electronics compartment. That must have been the saboteur’s plan all along. He needed to drop the ship out of hyperspace to make a call.

  The door to the electronics compartment was open when David reached it. He could see movement inside. Instinctually, he pulled his pistol out and crept into the room. There was a trooper standing behind the communications console with a handset to his mouth.

  “…I repeat, any Peacekeeper vessel. Come in.”

  David didn’t hesitate. From behind, he slammed the man down against the console and pointed the pistol at the back of his head. “Don’t move a muscle.” The man complied and David reached down and relieved him of his side arm, tossing it across the room. Then he flipped the man over so he could see his face.

  “Alright, asshole,” he said, pointing the gun in his face. “Why were you calling the Peaks?” The trooper said nothing and stared David down. “Okay, you want to play games?” He reached up to the man’s collar bone and triggered a pressure point. Immediately, the man cried out in pain. “I can do this all day, or you can start talking.” He held is thumb in place for another two seconds and then released.

  The man squirmed. “You don’t know what you’ve gotten yourself into.”

  Before David could respond he felt the hard polymer of a muzzle against his head. “Drop it, Carpenter!” It was Castle.

  David kept his pistol pointed at the trooper’s head. “Castle, I caught this guy making a call to the Peaks on the long range. He’s been sabotaging us since square one.”

  “What?”

  “Trust me, there are other troopers I’d rather shoot than this asshole.”

  Castle ignored the quip. “What’s he talking about, Chavez?”

  “You really thought you could hide it from all us, Lieutenant?” the trooper spat. “Thought you and Windcorp could hide what this mission is really about.”

  At that moment, Mr. Black entered the compartment, flanked by two helmeted troopers. “What’s going on here?”

  Castle released David, pushing him aside, and placed his own weapon against Chavez’s head. “Just an internal matter, sir. I’m taking care of it.”

  Chavez spat in Castle’s face. “Did you really think I’d go along with it, working for the Federation? I know Windcorp has low standards, but that’s even low for them.”

  “Lieutenant Castle,” Mr. Black said calmly. “Release that man.”

  Hesitantly, Castle lowered his weapon. Chavez freed himself from the man’s grip. “Thank you,” he said to Black. “So what are you going to do with me now, flush me out an airlock?”

  “That depends on what your intentions are.”

  Chavez stood up straight. “My full name is Arthur Morimoto Chavez, and I will not stand by and watch you and Windcorp make a deal with the devil.”

  Mr. Black smiled. “And what deal do you think that is?”

  “You are in league with the Federation. I’ve heard the rumors. Selling them technology and secrets, I could deal with that. But this… this is going too far. I will not stand by and watch you bring about the end to the civilized galaxy. I know what’s on this ship and it is worse than any nuclear-”

  Castle raised his pistol and fired. There was no warning as Arthur Morimoto Chavez’s brain splattered against the wall. Before his body had hit the ground David had his own pistol aimed at Castle.

  “What the hell, Castle?!”

  Castle lowered his weapon. “Put it down, Carp.”

  “No. You just shot a man in cold blood on my ship and I want to know why!”

  Castle looked at Mr. Black. “Sir?”

  “Please, Mr. Carpenter. Lower your weapon.”

  “I’m sorry, sir, but I’ve been fed just about as much shit as I can take. Someone is going to tell me what the hell is going on or I am going to shot the bloodthirsty lieutenant here in the head.” No one in the compartment moved. After five seconds of waiting, David shifted his aim to the left and pulled the trigger. A single round ripped into the bulkhead. He then reoriented on Castle. “Somebody better start talking!”

  The two other troopers raised their weapons but Mr. Black waved them down. “Mr. Carpenter, this might be a conversation better had elsewhere.”

  “No, we’ll have it here,” David directed. “And start with the part about Windcorp working with the Asiatic Federation.”

  “Windcorp has been doing work with the Federation for years. This is not a secret.”

  “But I don’t think that work has ever had anything to do with the Belt.” David saw slight surprise on Mr. Black’s face. “I read the flight plan. That’s where we’re going. What interest does Windcorp or the Federation have in a wasteland only plagued by raiders and madmen?”

  There were signs of anger on Mr. Black’s face. “If you must know, Mr. Carpenter, you are right. This shipment is out of the ordinary. And for all the business Windcorp has done with the Federation, there is a certain lack of trust. The Belt is being used as neutral ground to exchange this cargo.”

  That would explain the extra security that was accompanying the shipment, David realized. Windcorp did not want to risk getting hijacked while in unfamiliar territory. Black was likely telling the truth, but there was one more question to ask. “And what is the cargo?”

  The older man’s face was stone.

  I’ve already come this far. David shoved his pistol hard into Castle’s neck. “Unless you want to be down two troopers from your protection detail, you will tell me.”

  Mr. Black paused. “Samples of a newly discovered mineral.” His eye’s bored into David’s skull. “And that is the last question I am answering, Mr. Carpenter.”

  David didn’t believe the man for a second, but barring him putting a bullet in Castle’s skull he didn’t think he was going to get anything else. He would have to accept it for now. “Okay.” He lowered his weapon.

  In a flash, Castle spun around and punched him in the jaw, knocking him to the ground.

  “Leave him, Lieutenant,” Black ordered. The trooper wanted to finish what he had started but refrained. “I believe Mr. Carpenter has some work to do in the engine room. We need to get underway as soon as possible.”

  David stood up, massaging his jaw. “I’ll get right on it.”

  “And, Mr. Carpenter.” David turned as he exited the electronics compartment. Mr. Black whispered in his ear. “I humored you by going along with that little excitement in there. But if you try that again I will be forced to find a new pilot.”

  David nodded and walked away, Mr. Black’s threat echoing in his head.

  The airlock hissed open. With a grunt, Letsego tossed the mass of dead weight into the confined space. He and another trooper had been tasked with disposing of Chavez’s body. The man’s head was nearly gone, but with body armor the body still weighed well over two hundred pounds.

  The other trooper hit the door controls and the airlock sealed again. Soon Chavez was floating through the stars, just another piece of space debris.

  Their task complete, Letsego made his way back to the passenger cabin. He had a lot to think about. The events of the last hour had left him with quite a bit of intel to process.

  Windcorp was in league with the Federation. That did disturb him. In all the intelligence reports he had processed over the past months, there had been no reference to that. The Peacekeepers probably had no idea. That was a match made in hell; the dominating interstellar corporation teaming with the largest economic and military alliance in the galaxy. It was a recipe for control and conquest. Letsego had to notify his superiors.

  And to think that he had not been the only passenger on this ship that had ulterior motives was surprising. Chavez had taken a great risk and had paid the ultimate price. Letsego had not seen it coming. The man had seemed like a loyal trooper in the short time he’d known him.
But apparently the man’s loyalty to an extinct nation and hatred of the Chinese had gotten the better of him. Letsego had not known him well, but he swore he would not let the man’s death be in vain. His options were few. To get back to Prospect and warn the fleet he would have to walk a fine line between loyal trooper and clandestine operative.

  But maybe he wasn’t alone. The standoff between Carpenter, Castle, and the executive, Mr. Black, had revealed that there was more to the smuggler than Letsego had expected. The man clearly wasn’t just another Windcorp lackey. He was unhappy with the situation he found himself in. While that didn’t necessarily make the man Letsego’s ally, maybe it made him not his enemy. Only time would tell. Despite the events of the past week, Letsego had a feeling that Carpenter might be the only person he could trust on this ship.

  When Letsego reached the cabin, Castle was there to meet him.

  “Everything taken care of?” he asked.

  Letsego nodded. “Yes, sir. There is no trace of the body left on the ship.”

  “Good.” Castle studied him carefully. “Can I trust you, Johnson?”

  “Of course, sir.”

  “Because what just happened back there revealed some rather sensitive info. We’ve already had one traitor on this ship. I need to know that you are not having doubts about this mission.”

  Letsego spoke carefully. “Sir, Windcorp does not pay me to have doubts,” he lied. “My job is the mission, and I do not question the specifics of it. You will not have any problems with me… as long as I am paid.”

  Castle took that in and then nodded. “Fair enough. You’re doing a good job. Keep it up and I’ll have you transferred to my unit permanently when we get back.” He headed for the door. “Get some sleep. Once we get to the Belt the real job begins.”

  It took another half an hour, but soon Catalyst was underway again. David might have been able to complete the repairs faster but he had been distracted.

  He returned to the cockpit after Alana had made the launch back to hyperspace. As he entered he locked the door behind him.

  “What the hell is going on?” Alana demanded. She had been harassing him on the communicator since the gunshots rang out. But what David had to say needed to be said face to face.

  He filled her in. On the saboteur, on Windcorp and the Federation, on Mr. Black’s explanation, on everything.

  “Wow.” It was a lot to comprehend. “So what now?”

  “There is no doubt in my mind that Windcorp plans on killing us when we get to the Belt,” he said flatly.

  Alana concurred. “Why not kill us now?”

  “They need a pilot to fly them into the Belt,” David explained. “Don’t worry. We’re safe for now.”

  “Real comforting, D,” she said. “I assume you have a plan.”

  “Yeah, we make a break for it as soon as we touchdown. From there we’ll steal a ship and get the hell out of dodge.”

  “In the Belt?! We’ll be surround by raiders. What’s to say that they don’t finish the job for Windcorp?”

  “Those ruffians might kill us. But it is a sure thing that Castle and his men will gun us down at the first chance they get.”

  “I guess there’s no other choice then.” It was clear that once again she was unhappy with how things were going. And that she blamed most of it on David.

  “Hey, I got us into this and I’m gonna get us out.” He gave her a cocky grin. “We’ve been in tight spots before. We’re both gonna be fine.”

  18: A Necessary Exit

  The proximity alarm blared through the cockpit. “Here comes the next. Fifty meters to starboard,” Alana announced.

  “Tracking.” David eased the yoke slightly to the left and Catalyst glided past yet another skyscraper sized asteroid.

  Mr. Black entered the cockpit. “What is our status, Mr. Carpenter?”

  David kept his eyes glued to the viewport. “We’re getting close. Almost into the center of the Belt.” And the most dangerous part, he thought. The Sontour Belt was massive. The dark crevices among the asteroids provided refuge to all manner of outlaws, outcasts, expats, and marauders. The region was out of the reach of any national government or international authority. It was lawless, but that was not to say there was no governing authority.

  Mr. Black leaned in over David’s shoulder and peered out the viewport. The congested space in front of Catalyst was filled with asteroids, and they were only getting bigger. The scenery was constantly moving and changing as the giant rocks tumbled through the vacuum. “I will say it again, Mr. Carpenter. Your piloting skills are just as advertised.”

  David nodded. No matter how proficient his piloting skills were, they would soon be no longer required. David and Alana’s use to Windcorp was coming to an end. They would have to tread carefully.

  He checked the displays once again. They were close to the coordinates programmed into the nav computer. “What exactly are we looking for, Mr. Black? I mean there are no charted stations out here.”

  Mr. Black smiled. “Rest easy, Mr. Carpenter. You will know it when you see it.”

  David was feeling anything but easy right now. “Alana, we got anything on the sensors?”

  She shook her head. “D, with all the shit out there, I couldn’t differentiate an orbital station from a trash hauler.” The proximity alarm went off.

  David looked over at her station. “What is it, another big one?”

  “No. It’s something small. Maybe a-” Suddenly, two v-shaped fighters raced past the viewport.

  “Attention, unidentified vessel,” came a gruff voice through the comm system’s speakers. “You are in Black Crescent controlled space. Identify yourself, or be fired upon.”

  David looked at Mr. Black. “Friends of yours?”

  “Black Crescent is providing the neutral ground for this business meeting. Tell them who we are and ask for permission to land.”

  So this was the middleman that Windcorp was using with the Federation. The Black Crescent raider gang was notorious for its brutality and daring. Somehow the organization seemed to be a very appropriate bedfellow for Windcorp to be laying with. But for David and Alana, getting out of this predicament alive was becoming harder and harder.

  David picked up the handset. “Black Crescent, this is Windcorp transport Catalyst. Requesting permission to land at coordinates…” He read off the coordinates from the nav computer.

  There was a delay before the voice came back on the line. “Catalyst, if you are who you say you are, you’re half a day late.”

  “Crescent, we ran into some mechanical issues. Took a little time to fix.”

  “Copy. I am sending you updated coordinates. Follow us in. If you deviate at all we will blow you out of the sky. Understood?”

  “Roger that, Crescent.”

  They followed the Black Crescent fighters on the new course. They were heading deep into the center of the Belt. The asteroids were massive now, the size of small moons. Most of them were pockmarked from decades of drilling. David could see the remnants of mining facilities on most of the rocks. Some even showed signs of life. Many of the facilities had been overrun by raiders, who now used them to strip down their captured ships, plunder them and their passengers for all they were worth.

  Their destination came into view. It was an asteroid larger than any of the others. Orbiting it were the remnants of hundreds of scavenged hulks. The surface of the rock was covered with airlocks and other structures. Black Crescent was a massive organization. It wouldn’t be too hard for David and Alana to escape from Windcorp and get lost on this rock.

  The fighters led them into one of the large landing bays carved into the side of the asteroid. The ships passed through the energy field that kept in the atmosphere. David’s hands guided Catalyst onto one of the pads inside. The landing skids made a solid thud as they touched down.

  David peered out the viewport. There were a dozen other ships in the bay, half of which he figu
red he would be able to pilot. He and Alana could use one of those to escape. On the pad that Catalyst had landed on, a crowd was already forming. From the looks of it, it was a ragtag group of raiders and they were all toting very large guns.

  Mr. Black stood up and straightened his tie. “It appears I should go out and greet the welcoming committee.” He turned to the smugglers. “For your own safety, please stay here in the cockpit until I come back.” With that he left, the door hissing closed behind him.

  Alana stood up, quickly completing the post-flight check. “For our safety?” She said sarcastically. “More like he wants us here so Castle can kill us.”

  David looked out the viewport again. “Well, he’s a little tied up right now.” Castle and the other troopers were already down on the landing pad making themselves known to the raiders. “I think we’ve got some time.”

  “Well, what’s the plan?” She grabbed the go-back that she had stashed in a storage compartment.

  David nodded at a ship across the bay. “That Derringer interceptor out there. It can outrun any other ship here. And it has a quick power up time. We get to that and we can get out of here.”

  “Great plan, D. Only problem is there are a dozen troopers and who knows how many raiders between us and it. How do we get there?”

  He picked up his duffel and headed for the door. “I’ll show you.”

  “Gentlemen, here is where our real work begins. Our job is to protect this cargo and get ourselves and Mr. Black off of this rock in one piece. I don’t trust these asshole raiders as far as I can throw them, so watch your backs out there. Lock and load. Understood?”

  “Kill, sir,” the squad grunted in response to Lieutenant Castle’s motivational speech.

  “Alright, let’s go.” Castle headed down the gangway.

  Letsego followed the rest of the squad, holding his rifle at the ready. What was he doing here? He had gotten into this trying to stop a pair of smugglers and now he was playing security for a criminal intergalactic business deal. He needed to get back on track. He needed to contact the Peacekeepers and let them know what was going on. That was going to be easier said than done now that he was trapped on this asteroid.